The World Through Golden Eyes
by PhantomS
Summary: The Avatar moves ever closer to his goal and is met by a new friend in the Song Yi desert. Together, the group experiences adventures on their travels, ultimately to help the Avatar reach his goals !so read and review!
1. Chapter 1 :The Rock In The Desert

"LOOK! I found it! There it is!" she yelled, pointing to something in the vast desert.

Everyone else (except Appa of course) scrambled to the side of the Sky Bison saddle, only to see nothing but endless dunes. Toph Bei Fong laughed out loud and waved her hands in front of her blind eyes.

"That is what it'll sound like when one of _you_ spots it! What are we looking for, Aang?"

The frustration in the Earth Bender's voice was understandable, as she was literally blind in the air, feeling only the hard leather and blurry outlines of her friends. Aang returned to his sitting position and sighed while the Water Tribe siblings looked out a bit longer, then joined him in annoyance.

"Before the Spirit Library sank I managed to see a map the Guardian showed me. There is, or _was_ another library here. He didn't tell me anything about it, in fact he turned around and talked to the Professor," Aang recalled the Great Spirit Library and the large Owl that guarded it.

"In the_ middle_ of the desert?" Toph threw her hands up. "What's supposed to be in this library, more spiritual mumbo jumbo?"

Katara sighed again, Sokka turned away (he still remembered the Spirit Oasis up north) while Aang took his Glider out. Toph wasn't being anything but a typical Earth Kingdom citizen, the people who were famous for being incredibly hard-headed and straightforward, in stark contrast to the open mindedness of the Air Nomads or the introspective Water Tribes. Aang shrugged her comment off and glided out ahead of Appa, who grunted his approval, shaking his arrow tipped head. His shedding white fur trailed down into the seemingly endless desert, leaving a micro-trail of Sky Bison waste. Not that anyone would chase them this far into the Song Yi desert, but Aang was quite confident that the map was pointing to this location.

The Air Bender had been gone for about five minutes when he suddenly appeared out of the sun, nearly crashing into his friends and almost out of breath.

"I saw something!" he pointed to a rock sticking out in the middle of the sand.

"Let me see!" Sokka took out his looking-glass, noting that the rock was rather peculiar among the dunes that surrounded it, like a giant flat button on a sandy shirt. Katara took a look and nodded to Aang.

"I see some other people there! They look like Sand Benders!" Sokka refocused his lens on a small dust cloud.

"Great, more from those guys who ride _boats_ in the desert!" Toph moaned. However, she too was perched on the edge of Appa's basket, as her ears picked up faint echoes of human voices. The language was alien to her but she had heard it before in her house, as the Sand Benders were by nature international traders and dealt with her father quite a lot.

"I'm going to go down there. Appa, you stay near the rock!" Aang commanded, patting the beast on its head before gliding down.

The caravan seemed to notice Aang but did not seem to react. One or two nomads even waved at the incoming Avatar, their boats 'moored' near the rock.

"Hello there!" Aang tried to sound as friendly as possible toward the notoriously haughty Sand Benders, who had kidnapped Appa once before.

"Greetings," a man who appeared to be the leader spoke in a thick Arabic accent. "Do you seek Great Rock as well?"

"Well, it _is_ right there next to you, isn't it?"

"We have a comedian here, people," another Sand Bender poked at his companion. "That is _the_ Great Rock. The Pasha asked you, do you seek _Great Rock_? You know… the place?"

"Err… yeah, I guess?" Aang shrugged.

"Aang, over here!" Sokka's voice called out from behind the caravan. A herd of Camel Buffaloes skimmed past him, led by a bored looking shepherd. A sand boat swung past the herd, the skipper cracking his whip for seemingly no reason. The boat hit a bump and swerved past the snoozing Appa, but the skipper tipped his hat and went by without as much as an incident. Aang noticed that the Sand Benders were now all laughing at him; the whole place was a bustling town, at the foot of the giant 300 foot rock.

"Aang, look!" Katara called out from on top of a Rhino Ostrich. "I'm running on the sand! Wheee!" She laughed as the animal galloped around her confused friend, a slightly less impressed Toph holding on for dear life behind her.

"Oookay…."Aang shrugged.

A half hour later, they were sitting in what the Sand Benders called a "Tea Tent" with brews straight from the Jade Dragon in Ba Sing Se of all places. From afar the Great Rock was well, just a Great Rock but, as the waiter explained to them it was a place of congregation for the Sand Bender tribes, where they swapped goods and stories of the Four Nations as well as a place to rest in the harsh Song Yi apart from the people they called the "rock hounds" in the Earth Kingdom proper. Toph grimaced at the comment but couldn't feel anything on the ground- she felt really helpless in this environment and was showing her frustration rather openly.

"We're not sure if you take Omashu currency, sir…" Aang held out some of King Bumi's coins. The waiter looked at them and pocketed two of the three coins Aang had on offer, nodding sagely.

"We do accept Omashu currency, if you know Sand Benders we accept _all_ currency!" he cackled as his busboy delivered the teas." But Omashu currency is what we prefer here, as the Native says that the king there was always nice to him and the original people of this town."

"There was a town here in the middle of nowhere?" Toph took a sip of her tea, which was surprisingly cool and refreshing despite the earthen grains she could sense at the bottom of the cup.

"There _was_, until the time of the Fire Nation invasion. Story is, they even came as far as here before besieging Ba Sing Se and eventually going home. The Native is the only person crazy enough to stay here full-time. The rest of us folks- he shot a look at a customer trying to get away- we move in and out. The Rock is sacred to us, so we come here. But we never stay, if you know what I mean."

"Who's the Native?" Sokka asked, gulping his tea down in one go. "Some hopped-up old guy, like the king in Omashu? Oh, sorry Aang," he turned to his friend.

"Well, Bumi _is_ a hopped up old guy," the Avatar smiled.

"Not at all, young man," the waiter poured Toph another ice tea, "he's about your age, as far as we can tell. He's rarely out here; he's usually at the library."

"A library?" Aang shot up. "Where is it?"

"In the old quarter over there, you can't miss it. It's the only building that well, looks like a library."

Against Toph's protestations they paid the remainder of their bill and set out to this library. The Sand Benders passed them by as they went, until only Aang and his friends were left standing in what looked like an old town square. True to the waiter's word the library was right there, a giant door etched right into the Rock, surrounded by empty houses and what looked like dried up fountains.

"Call me Mr. Obvious, but that looks very much like a library," Sokka tapped at the door. "Where's the handle, though? Do we push through it?"

"No, the inscription in the front says 'only to be opened by those who love and hate the elements'"

"Benders, of course!" Aang sprang into action and sent out a gust of wind, slamming it against the door. The only thing that it moved was dust on the door, sending the Avatar flailing over a house.

"Obviously it's an _Earth_ door?" Toph assumed her power stance and sent a wave against the door, only to have it repelled by an unknown force and sending her right into Aang.

"Maybe… not an Earth door?" Katara wiped some more dust off the rock face.

"I _love_ puzzles!" Sokka looked keenly at the door, poking it with his instruments and boomerang.

"Hey, you pony tailed moron," a voice came from inside.

"The door is talking to me!!" Sokka almost jumped into Katara's arms.

"What's the best way to get inside a door?"

"A riddle door?" Sokka scratched his chin. Before he could try the first of his 100 great ideas Katara simply knocked lightly on the door. A sound like a latch could be heard and the doors slowly groaned open.

"Hah, Water Benders always think of the best way to do things," the voice sounded.

"Um, Great Spirit of the Rock Library…" Aang called out in to the darkness.

"Hey, I'm somewhere between the history section and the economics of the Fire Nation references. Do come in, if you need light, just ask your Earth Bender."

"What am _I_ supposed to be doing?" Toph wondered, until she heard the faint vibrations of crystals on the rock walls. She sent a small wave across the room and apparently set off several glowing crystals that colored the room a bright green.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" the blind Earth Bender sat on the rock floor, grateful at least for the return of her 'sight'.

Aang and Katara walked the halls of the vast complex, hearing anything from desert rat-cats to the cackling of a squirrel bat. There were tons of tomes and scrolls here in languages that people had seemingly forgotten, entire slabs of stone tablets laying on the floor in glass cases.

"Hello?" Aang called out into the racks.

"Hello there!" a voice above them replied, three books dropping at Aang' s feet, narrowly missing Katara 's head. She screamed as a face popped up right in front of her, bobbing up and down with dark eyes.

"Little help, please…" the masked man pointed to a rope around his ankle, which Katara untied quite easily. He fell in a heap, crumpled like an old piece of paper


	2. Chapter 2 : The Hidden Library

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **

**The events in the story do not strictly follow the order or outcome in the actual series; this is fan fiction after all. Plus some things like the Fire Nation Airships are anachronistic ,and that is on purpose.**

"Now," the man dusted his arms off, "what brings you strangers into the library of the Great Rock?"

"Well, we were at the Great Spirit Library…." Aang began but saw that the man was gripping his head in anguish, and then hanging it as if in shame.

"_You're_ the ones that made him take his entire collection back into the Spirit World? I haven't even finished reading the first collection he sent me! What were you people thinking?" he glowered menacingly.

"No wait, I'm the Avatar, and-"

"The _Avatar_?" the masked man looked up and down at Aang. "That is not possible, although I've heard stories…."

"Well, here I am," Aang pointed to the arrow on his head.

"The tattoo says you're an Air Bender alright. Now, where were you 118 years ago when the Fire Nation attacked?" the masked man stood, arms akimbo.

"I was frozen in the southern ice. Katara here and her brother thawed me out!" Aang was getting restless but the stranger seemed genuinely interested, rather than threatening.

Suddenly he found himself thrown towards a rack by an unseen force, while Katara felt too little water to bend and stood there, half scared and half curious.

"That was for the people of this town you should have visited, as Roku, Kyoshi and Yang Chen had. Now I am the only one left."

Katara looked around the library and imagined more people in the halls, birds in the windows and gardens with fountains. It looked a pale, desolate shade of what was before, with only the green crystals looking like they were still maintained.

"Are you satisfied now, stranger?" Katara folded her arms.

"Yes." He nodded and took off his mask. "Before you start asking me about what is in the library, Avatar you must look into these eyes and think."

Aang got up off the rack he seemed pinned to, although there was no air, earth or water pushing him back. The stranger took off his mask and looked right into Aang's blue eyes. The Avatar felt a chill come over him as the stranger's eyes danced with his own in a deepening madness.

"You're eyes … they're all yellow_!_" Aang looked in wonder.

"Indeed, even you Avatars haven't seen this since Roku's time." The voice sounded slightly different but had the same tone. It seemed familiar to Aang, although he had never heard it with his own ears. He felt some of his back hairs bristling, even though he was sure he didn't _have_ any back hairs. It was as if some of his predecessors were speaking to him through his body. However, unlike other times his feelings were mixed, with an excited heartbeat meeting cautious, tense nerves.

"You are feeling confused, I understand. Don't be surprised, sometimes we were friends to you; sometimes we were your mortal enemies. Time is not kind to people who do not follow the same path. My name is Mitsu Ishihara, some people called my kind…"

"Heretics," Katara pointed at him, an ice dagger formed of water from her bottle. "Gran-Gran told us stories about you."

Mitsu turned around and looked at the Water Bender with interest. "What did your grandmother tell you?"

"You were Benders who turned from the natural path, Benders who tried to challenge nature itself. They were rejects from each Nation who experimented with forbidden energies. But they haven't been seen in a hundred years!"

"That is where you are wrong." Mitsu waved his arm and illuminated the room brightly, motioning for Aang to get up. Toph and Sokka's hurried footsteps could be heard headed for the chamber and it was only a matter of seconds until they too arrived.

"The ones born with golden eyes disappeared more than a hundred years ago, or rather people stopped being born with them," Mitsu moved a book out of its rack and to everyone's amazement it hung in the air in front of him, opening to a page covered in a drawing of a golden eyed man battling with a fan-wielding woman. His eyes were not merely golden irises like Fire Benders; but where other people had white in their eyes, they had a shiny golden hue. "The people who sired them, however still live in the Earth Kingdom. They are none other than the people outside this ghost town."

"The Sand Benders?" said Aang. "I thought they were Earthbenders?"

"Before we talk more, please come into my study. It gets boring sometimes, but that's when I've finished a book. I can see you're one of the friendly Avatars, the Air Bender Avatars tend to be more open-minded." Mitsu smiled, pointing to a smaller room at the end of the hall.

They walked past numerous tomes, collections and journals as they made their way to the study. Katara noticed that there were Fire Nation scrolls, Water Tribe scrolls as well as Earth Kingdom tomes in the library. Aang stopped and picked up a roll of paper that had a broken seal that said "Southern Air Temple" on it.

"That was written two hundred years ago by Kari Omoto," Mitsu dusted the scroll.

"The monks told me about him. They said he was a weird Air Bender who always tried new things, at least until he was expelled from the temple. I heard that he went the Southern Water tribe and died fighting Avatar Roku."

Mitsu greeted the last line with laughter. "That's what people thought," he said as he opened the scroll. "He was in fact one of Roku's greatest friends and followed him to the Earth Kingdom. Here, this is a new technique you might be interested in."

The scroll showed a golden eyed man in Air Bender robes in a rooted stance, with his hands in the familiar 'globe' position. The writing however showed that the flow of energy was opposite that of a typical Air Bender, leading to a black spot between his hands where an air bubble would normally be.

"The technique is slightly too advanced for you, Aang, but you can keep the scroll." Mitsu took his hand and led him into his study, a spartan room illuminated with a purple crystal and a singular yellow globe.

"Earth Bender, what is your name?" Mitsu turned to Toph.

"Toph Bei Fong," she took out her family seal.

Mitsu bowed low, until his hair nearly touched his knees. "Lady Bei Fong, it is an honor. I have been to your great house but once, but your parents only wanted to talk to my Sand Bender friends."

"Oh, he's bowing to me, is he?" Toph rolled her head, giggling slightly. "I get this all the time, honestly. But seriously, _stop it_. I'm running away from …I mean I'm not supposed to draw attention with the Avatar around."

"When you were little, your father donated something to this library. You can have it tomorrow. "The purple light dimmed slightly in the background, indicating the hour's passing.

"When _you_ were born, Avatar, your monks came here and left this with us," Mitsu pulled out a papyrus scroll from a stack on a shelf. "You should treasure this, or at least read it once."

"What is it?" asked Katara, peering over Aang's shoulder.

"It's… my birth certificate?" Aang scratched his chin.

"Gyatso himself came here, according to the archives. Can I help you, dude?" Mitsu looked towards Sokka, who was, with great difficulty, holding up what looked like a metal rod propped up the corner.

"This thing is heavy!" Sokka heaved at the thin-looking staff, which clattered to the ground.

"It's made out of solid iron and titanium," Mitsu lifted the staff up with no apparent effort.

"Titanium?" Toph grasped one end of the staff, "That stuff is so heavy the only thing they use it for is making prison doors. I can't feel any earth in it either."

"Lady Bei Fong, this rod was once a _prison hinge_. I thought it would be better used as my personal …support."

Aang closed the certificate with a sigh, with Katara putting both hands on his depressed shoulders.

"What's up, Aang?" Sokka turned to his friend, who seemed as still as stone.

"I finally know my parents' names," he muttered and hugged Katara. "And why they named me."

"I know it is hard, Avatar but everyone has a right to know their parents. So what brings you here to Great Rock?"

"The Great Spirit Library sunk into the Spirit World," Aang put the scroll down. "We were hoping to learn more about Ba Sing Se before we got there."

"There's nothing about Ba Sing Se here, Avatar Aang. That city has a way of revealing itself to people who make it there," Mitsu crossed his arms and shook his head. "This is a library for Heretics, as people called my kind." He sat on his chair and leant back.

"We were always rare, but people supported us and some of us had families. In the end the Four Nations got together and decided to kick us out of every country and town they could find. Only the Earth King took pity on us and put us here. If you could call it _pity_…"

Katara looked at an Earth Kingdom map on the wall, noting that they were smack in the middle of the Song Yi now. "Where are all the other people?"

"Over time the golden eyed ones, the ones who learnt arts forbidden to masters of the Four Elements became less and less. People were born normal, not even being Earth, Fire, Air or Water Benders. People became more used to the surroundings and most of the folks here became Earth Kingdom citizens. The Sand Benders are the only large group left descended from these people."

"The Sand Benders don't have golden eyes," Sokka noted.

"The Sand Benders use Earth bending as their source, but Water bending techniques as their spirit with the breath control of Fire benders. On behalf of the Tribes of the Rock I also have to apologize for what happened to your Sky Bison earlier," Mitsu got up and bowed low.

"We've got Appa back now, and the people outside seemed quite nice. But I still want to know, why do you have golden eyes, and where are the people now?"

"The Fire Nation has repeatedly invaded the Earth Kingdom since Avatar Roku died. The people joined the Sand Tribes or left for Omashu and Ba Sing Se. The Tribes come here now and then, but there are no people left that actually _live_ here. Except for me, of course."

"Why do you live here all on your own in the middle of nowhere?" Toph sat on the desk.

"The desert is like the sea. This place is like an island, except that Fire Nation ships can't cross the desert."

"Hey, you live here but you know about Fire Nation ships?" Sokka scratched his chin.

"We _are_ in a library, big brother," Katara shot him a look.

"I was here when General Iroh besieged Ba Sing Se. That was the last straw for the other people, who left for the city or elsewhere. I was the only one who stayed."

"So what do you bend-"Aang saw Mitsu's hand cover his mouth.

"Can you hear that?" Mitsu picked up the titanium staff.

"There's some rumbling outside," Toph's ears perked up, "sounds like the Fire Nation _have _managed to cross the desert."

"Come on!" Mitsu pressed a button on the wall, letting it slide back wards until an opening let the sun through. There were howls and screams from men, women and children while whirlpools of sand were seen clashing against waves of fire. Five Fire Nation airships could be seen hovering over the town's outskirts, troops rappelling down like ants out of an ant-hill.

"You can use the town's well water," Mitsu pointed Katara to a cluster of wells and barrels just below them. "Lady Bei Fong, please take her down to the wells and stay within the town center. I take it you cannot see too well in the desert?"

"You know?"

"You're not the first blind Earth bender," Mitsu smiled, "It's looking bad out there, the Tribes are getting beaten!"

Toph created a rock slide on which Katara and she quickly moved down to the area Mitsu mentioned. Katara felt the familiar flow of water underground, although she wished there was more. Toph levitated some rocks as two of the Fire Nation airships arced towards them, fireballs already shooting toward the Library.

"I'm going down there to help Katara!" Sokka slid down and took out his boomerang, although the looming airships made him run behind Toph's rock walls moments later.

"You should glide above them, Avatar and pierce their other balloons with your Bending. I take it you haven't learnt to Fire bend yet, so use your native air-bending for now!" Mitsu handed him his Glider.

"How do you know?" Aang repeated Toph and Sokka's question.

Mitsu said nothing and pushed the young Avatar off the ledge, forcing him to open his Glider and barely lift off the ground. Aang fought the urge to curse Mitsu but zoomed towards the Sand Benders' last stand as Fire Nation raiders surrounded the traders' camp.

"I would have thought Air Benders were faster?" Aang almost fell out of the sky. There was Mitsu, right beside him but with no wind or glider. He seemed to be levitating himself with no support, something that Aang thought was impossible.

"How…?" Aang saw Mitsu charge towards one of the balloons, weaving like a bird in the mountains to avoid fireballs and arrows.

"Get your own target!" Mitsu called out as he caught an arrow. The troops on the ground, already fighting sand waves and other onslaughts were now faced with a foe that flew out of the sun. As he neared the ground the raiders closed in on him, hands outstretched with fireballs lit on their fingertips. Aang's eyes opened wide as Mitsu hovered above the ground and with a wave threw all of them back or into the Sand Benders. The arrow in his hand found its way into the nearest balloon while the other balloon disengaged. In the distance Toph's launched boulders had downed one of the battleships while Katara shielded them from the fireballs that were raining down from the other one. Sokka was holding his own with the few ground troops that had made it into the town center, although Sand Benders were arriving to back him up.

"Aang, your balloon!" Mitsu pointed to the remaining war balloon. The Avatar was still in awe of what Mitsu did and crashed right into the balloon, creating a rupture that let the hissing hot air out and sent the balloon's occupants begging for their lives as they plummeted into the soft sand.

"Well, that's _one _way to do it…" Mitsu and the Sand Benders shrugged. "The other one, leave it to me!"

Aang had just torn the war balloon's canvas off him when he saw Mitsu's staff hurtling towards the third airship. The air captain was howling Fire Nation curses as the staff tore right through the floor of the balloon and then the canvas above.

"Return," Mitsu raised his hand and the staff zipped back, narrowly missing Aang's head. Back in town, the second raider ship had been sunk by a massive Sand Bender wave with legs and heads sticking out of the sand being the only sign of any of its occupants.

"What did you just do?"

Mitsu smiled, "Something you should never try to learn. Back, to the library!"

The Fire Nation raiding party was now on the back foot as the last war balloon fell in a dazzling fireball, its air burner turned inwards. One poor soul had Toph's foot on his chest and water globes around his hands and feet.

"The Fire Nation will conquer you all! So says Admiral Chan! He's coming now with Rhino forces and a whole squadron of war balloons!"

"Shut up, maggot," Mitsu clubbed him out cold with the titanium rod. "This rock is older than you and your entire existence. Great Rock, take him into your arms and teach him the error of his ways."

"Admiral Chan is one of the Fire Admirals Jeong-Jeong told me about," Aang turned to his friends, "He's as dangerous as Zhao and maybe as Zuko himself! Mitsu, you have to get out of here before he levels the place! That guy doesn't listen to reason or even orders at all!"

"The Sand Benders are dispersing, but I'm not going anywhere until the library is secure. Wait here, Avatar."

"My name is _Aang._"

"Wait here, Aang," Mitsu leapt high into the sky with the unconscious Fire Nation soldier until he was a blip in the cloudless sky. The Sand Benders could be seen evacuating in all directions, with entire galleons sailing away from the Rock.

"Looks like you're not the last Air Bender after all, Aang," Sokka shielded his eyes as he tried to spot Mitsu.

"He's not Air bending at all, Sokka," Aang also looked on as Appa landed nearby, "It's a different kind of energy he's using, it feels like Earth Bending."

Katara's thoughts on the subject were interrupted by the screams of the Fire Nation soldier, hurled at an approaching object shrouded by dust. Mitsu surged downwards and hovered near Aang, a contorted look on his face.

"You were right about this Admiral; the rat's hired some Earthbenders and is coming this way with a small army! Toph, I will need your help and the help of your friends. Will you help save this library?"

"Now you're not so tough?" Sokka peered through his telescope, hoping to spot the Admiral and his troops.

"I can fight, but the days where we could hold entire nations at bay are long gone. I _must_ protect the library like my ancestors did. I will need the assistance of the Lady and the Avatar. I take it your talents are elsewhere, or do we have two Water Benders?"

"Just one," Katara emptied a barrel to make a water whip, "but I'm not much use in a desert, and Sokka even less."

"Hey!"

"Then the Rock will have to help us," Mitsu looked at the giant monolith that seemed to frown. In the distance the bespectacled but sharp eyed Chan pointed the way for his Rhino squadrons and his Earth Nation collaborators, who were gliding on rocks through the desert like moving platforms. They were Fire Nation colony citizens, hence their allegiance was to the Admiral known as "Chan the Cold and Cruel." This was a raid into Earth Kingdom territory as he had done for years, but unlike Iroh Chan was more interested in wearing down the Earth Kingdom and terrorizing its people. He had a son in the Fire Nation that shared his views and would have been out here in the Song Yi had it not been for social engagements people his class were accustomed to.

"We have to move the foundations and operate the gears so the library can be buried safely under the rock," Mitsu held his hands out. "I'll move the gears, you two Earthbend the rock to make it smoother."

Toph pressed her bare feet onto the ground, feeling the soft and hard particles and the mechanism underneath the library. "I'm ready," she began moving earth.

"I'm ready too," Aang also pressed his hands to the ground, although he still had less skill than Toph at moving large amounts of rock. Mitsu made two fists and concentrated hard. The gears could be heard cranking and creaking, although the library was sinking ever so slowly.

"What bending are you using?" Aang felt the earth move again.

"The bending between bending!" Mitsu hollered over the massive earthen groans. "I'd tell you more, but we just buried the floor it was on!"

"Incoming!" Sokka nervously held his boomerang as the first Earthbenders hurtled over the dunes.

"Hurry!" Mitsu expounded more effort turning the gears as a fireball crashed into the fifth floor, now at ground level. "They're here!" he waved his staff to knock back two Fire Nation commandoes that had glided in.

"I'll buy us some time, Katara and Sokka, get in here!" Toph spread her arms and raised a giant wall of rock made out of the town rubble, slowly creating a dome over their heads.

"Toph, I can't do this on my own!" Aang yelled as he began losing his grip on the earth below the library. Earthbending was not his strong suit as it was opposed to his innate element, and the strain was telling on the young Avatar.

"You can let go now, the mechanism will take care of the rest," Mitsu caught the exhausted Aang as he let go of the final chunk of Earth that was in the way. The top floor was now barely above ground, and Mitsu lowered it gently until only the rooftop could be seen.

"As preserved as before," his whispered, only to have to dodge both rocks and fireballs from above.

"Damn, they found a hole!" Toph yanked the boulders out from under the Fire Nation Earthbenders.

"With this rune, I seal the Great Hall once more," Mitsu pointed to the metal rooftop hatch and wrote the character for 'close' on it, reciting a small spell. The character glowed in response and the rooftop now sunk below ground, miraculously covered by encroaching soil.

"I will not be denied!" Chan leapt into the fray, knocking Katara aside and kicking Sokka back as he tried to avenge his sister. Chan was not a hulking man but had broad shoulders and a serious look to him, with two large swords now in his hands. They were lit with green fire, his personal favourite as it tortured he Earth Kingdom citizens , green being their national colour. His troops and the renegade Earthbenders rallied behind him, surrounding Aang and his party.

"You have been denied," Mitsu threw a metal girder at Chan, who deftly sliced through it and began a charge with his men. Toph had barely raised a carpet of Earth when metal rods sprouted out of the surface of the town square, bending like snakes and jabbing at the soldiers.

"You…you're doing this, aren't you? You're bending metal?" Toph noticed Mitsu's glowing eyes.

"I read the book, yes," Mitsu twirled and impaled some of the troops with the rods.

"I can't feel the metal- is this pure, refined metal?"

"The same as my staff," Mitsu swung his staff and batted away a Fire Nation sergeant.

Chan was indignant, although the Avatar himself was now causing him problems. He motioned for his Rhino captain, who was left behind to bring forth a metal cabinet.

"They want to catch me or something?" Toph sensed the earthen fragments in the metal. "Wait, that's not a capture box…."

"If I can't bring your head to the Fire Lord, I will bring its ashes," Chan grabbed a rope and made a thumbs-up motion. "I, Chan of the Fire Nation will witness this from above!"

"A Fire Bomb!" one of the troops called out, vainly reaching for the Admiral's feet. "Sir, we're still down here!"

"Your sacrifices will be remembered, young soldiers!" the Admiral laughed out loud.

"We have no recourse; this device is made out of volcanic rock. It would take a Fire bender of great skill to even delay this thing," Mitsu looked over the device next to two nervous Fire Nation soldiers looking helplessly up at the sky and each other.

"Then we're getting out of here!" Katara clambered up Appa, whose fur had been slightly singed by the two battles but was otherwise fine. Sokka and Toph made it up while Aang hung on Appa's paw. The Fire Nation soldiers were also allowed on, much to Sokka's chagrin.

"Mitsu! Get on Appa!"

The mystery bender was locked in a prostrating position, head down towards the site of the buried library. A large pack was by his side, taken from a nearby hut.

"Mitsu, get on!" Toph called out.

Mitsu looked at the rising Sky Bison; with Katara extending her hand as far as it could go. "Goodbye, my dear Rock. Watch over the house of my people once more." With a heave he elevated himself faster than Appa could ascend, past the hole Chan had blown in the earthen dome. Seconds later a white flash could be seen inside the dome, then billowing smoke and raging fires.

"The library of secrets is safe," Mitsu sighed as he landed on Appa. "What is on my back is now all I can carry as my own," he looked ruefully at the Rock. "That was my home for seventeen years. A home that _you_ almost destroyed!" he forcefully shoved the Fire Nation troops off the saddle. Two soft thuds on the sand could be heard afterwards.

"We're sorry about the library, Mitsu," Aang put his hand on Mitsu's back. "But we saved it, didn't we? You can come back another time and we can all pull it back up."

Mitsu let a smile wash over his face, "That is very positive of you, Aang. I'm sure the Rock will protect the remains of the town till next we meet it."

"Why don't you join us?" Toph took Mitsu's gloved hand, "Now that we're finally leaving the desert, I can teach Aang more Earthbending. You could be a great help- you know, with seeing it all and stuff?"

"I'd be honored, Lady Bei Fong," Mitsu bowed, "it's not like I have anywhere else to go... for now."

"I thought you told him to stop calling you that," Sokka punched Toph in the arm.

"I like the way he says it," Toph punched him back, only harder. "With _respect_," she grinned.

"As you wish, _Lady Bei Fong,_" Sokka bowed mockingly as he pulled out a map of the Earth Kingdom. "We're _here,_ and Ba Sing Se is north of us. We have to cross this one place called The Serpent's Pass," he pointed to a narrow strip of land wedged between two large mountains.

"The Serpent's Pass? That should be a challenge…" Mitsu overheard.

"Mitsu?" Aang tugged at his new companion, "Can you do something for me?"

"What would that be, Aang? We've only just met, you know."

"Fly with me and Appa," Aang looked down at the desert sands, which were slowly making way for hard rock and pockets of vegetation. "I haven't flown with anyone since coming out of the ice."

Mitsu nodded and leapt off the saddle, followed by Aang in his glider. Appa let out a sound that indicated interest as the two Benders crisscrossed in front of him.

"So, how do you fly?" Aang called out as the last parts of the Song Yi were behind them.

"I'm what could be called a Force Bender," Mitsu swept past Aang and added a loop for effect.


	3. Chapter 3: The Force Bender

"A Force Bender? I've never heard of that element," Aang landed on a tall mesa.

"Well, we were called _Heretics_ for a reason. Through meditation and secret techniques we learned a different way of seeing the universe, with a different basis for the elements," Mitsu landed beside Aang as the others approached in the distance.

"A different basis?"

"Yes, not the way of Earth, Water, Fire and Air the Four Nations practiced, as I told you before. The basis of our style is that we bend what we are most attuned to. I guess being born in the Earth Kingdom; I'm attuned to magnetism and forces like it. Hence I call myself a Force Bender."

"So that's how you bent the metal back in town," Aang nodded, "I have to admit, for a second I thought you were another Airbender."

"You must miss the Air Nomads a lot," Mitsu put his hand on Aang' shoulder.

"I miss them terribly, especially Monk Gyatso," Aang looked towards the south. "I'm still coming to terms with being the last Airbender."

"If all goes well, you will not be the last one- as long as you have children who will in turn breed more children. As the Avatar, you will probably live to see them. Kyoshi lived for over two hundred years. In any case, I am also the last of the Golden Hand, as far as I can tell. No one is interested in researching bending, I guess."

"Can we get going now?" Sokka called out from Appa, pointing to the two peaks that flanked the Serpent's Pass.

The Serpent's Pass was tough enough to get through, although with Appa it would be easier than usual. The flying rocks and gale winds that characterized the region were still a problem for many, although the Avatar and his companions were now joined by some Earth Kingdom refugees fleeing from the conquered Omashu. The new arrivals were thankfully mostly Earthbenders who helped navigate the treacherous pass. The greatest help however was offered by a small group of Sand Benders who acted as guides, using special divining rods designed to find their way out of the desert. There was a similar pass nearer to the shores of the Eastern Bay, where a literal serpent apparently guarded it. The Pasha said that the Serpent was in fact the same legend in both places, although the one they were traveling on was lesser known to all except for the Sand Benders.

"Don't compasses point north?" Sokka peered over the Pasha's shoulder. "We're about twelve degrees off course."

"This is a gear compass, child. It is not one that follows the path of the Lode. It was designed by the King of Omashu to help people find Ba Sing Se. All tribes have at least one."

"Interesting…" Sokka peered into the spherical object with his natural curiosity.

Aang, Toph and Katara were on the largest catamaran, with Mitsu taking point at the furthest forward area. The gales brought up a dangerous curtain of sand which the Sand Benders could only hold with great effort. Appa wheeled around overhead with Momo and some Earth Kingdom people, a giant shadow over the small band.

"What is that in your hand, Toph?" Katara saw Toph holding what looked like a book, but with no writing on the pages.

"It's something my father wrote," Toph didn't turn her head.

"I don't see anything," Aang stood on his head trying to see what was in the book.

"Of course you don't see anything, Aang. It's printed in embossed form especially for blind people. Didn't you have this were you came from?"

"Actually, I've never heard of it. I thought you didn't like books?"

Toph was silent for a while until she closed the volume. "This is my father's journal. He gave it to Mitsu's library for safekeeping." Her tone was unusually soft and subdued, and her eyes were closed even though she didn't need to close them.

"What does it say?" Aang arched over to see.

"I think that's private, Aang," Katara stopped him.

"It's his feelings when he met my mother…and when I was born." Toph put the book in her pack. "I know Mitsu was going to give it to me, but in that whole place this was the only book I could 'see', so I took it." She sighed heavily, her thoughts deep in contemplation. "I had no idea how paranoid my father was!"

"It's only because he cares, in his own way, Toph…" Katara sat next to the _sifu._

"_She is so beautiful,_" Toph started reading out loud, "_She doesn't look at me yet, but I'm still happy. I'm thinking of naming our first girl here Toph? That's the name Poppy's mother wanted, and she's so stubborn, even by Earth Kingdom standards. Still, she's a beautiful child no matter what her name is…_" A single tear came down Toph's cheek, although no one noticed it under her bangs.

"That is a man being a father!" the Pasha kept his eyes on the 'road', giving them a backhanded wave. No one else spoke until they reached what the Pasha called the western shore of the Eastern Lake. The desert seemed to stop right before the lake's own sandy shores, leading to a large sparkling pool of seemingly still water that stretched into the distance. A small stream seemed to tail off into the south, which the Pasha said would eventually link this lake up with the sea on the Eastern side of the Earth continent.

"We do not usually travel this far out, young Avatar. Our paths to Ba Sing Se usually come from the south, up a channel from the Chameleon Bay," the Pasha bowed to Aang who bowed in return. "Ba Sing Se is on the other side, right off the ferry that is coming this way. We rarely go there, though as there is little to trade compared to other parts of the Kingdom."

Aang pointed to a small chugging boat that was making its way west, slowly but surely. "That should be enough to carry us through, thank you so much for taking us through. I've had some bad experiences with Sand Benders before, so…"

"That tribe has been reprimanded. Like us, your Sky Bison is a reminder of a long gone time. They wanted to preserve it but a traveling circus stole it. As I can see, your Bison is in very good condition now that it has been rescued."

"Can't we just fly across the lake on Appa?" Toph crossed her arms. Sand was one thing; flying was another thing but water made her even more shut out from the world, especially on those rickety wooden ferries she remembered from her younger days.

"We are going to see the Earth King," Mitsu landed beside her, "It is the custom to approach him on foot and not by means of air. That is why the Earth Kings visited the Eastern Air Temples, not vice versa."

"Well, _I_'_m_ not going to see him, am I?" Toph sat on the sand-boat's roughly hewn bench.

"I was being metaphorical. Did you read what your family wrote?"

Toph silently nodded. Her parents didn't want her to learn serious Earthbending, but they did want their child to communicate as best as she could, and hired specialist writers and printers to make books for her in embossed script so that she could read with her hands. They wanted her to read those books and become a scholar or a lawyer, not like the muscle bound fighters who took part in Earth Tournaments regularly held in their home town. Toph was bitter about that at least, but deep inside she knew that she loved them as well- typically for an Earthbender she was stubborn and suppressed that fact as often as possible.

Mitsu nodded , "There is more for you. You are the only one who has nothing concerning Bending to read, Lady Bei Fong. Oh, do you have your family seal? We might need it on the ferry."

"For a guy who lives in a library in the middle of the desert, you sure know a lot about places," Toph turned to him.

"He flies, Toph," Aang put aside his own scroll as the sand boat moored itself in a purpose built moat. "I still don't understand how, but Mitsu' s told me a lot about what he's seen in the past few weeks- like what we've seen in the past few months!"

Mitsu laughed and helped Toph off the boat, "Your words, not mine."

"What do you do on those travels, pick up chicks?" Sokka leapt off the boat.

"Sometimes," Mitsu grinned, "good excuse for a quick raid on the Fire Nation."

"Oh …_boys_," Katara and Toph moaned together.

As the Pasha's group turned back to the desert, the ferry and its chugging engine could be heard docking on the nearby pier. Aang felt some oddness in the local air, a strange sensation of stillness although there was a slight breeze blowing over the placid lake. No one else seemed to be aware of it, not his party or the Earth Kingdom refugees coming onto the ferry. The lake seemed to hum underneath the ferry every few seconds or so but otherwise there was nothing out of the ordinary. Appa wheeled overhead with some of the older refugees on his back, but everyone else was ready to board as a stern-faced guard looked on.

"Passports please," the guard stood in front of Sokka with a giant club in his hand.

"Passport…? What's a passport?" Sokka turned to his sister who shrugged.

"You can't come on the ferry if you don't have a passport."

"Coming through," Toph weaved past her friends, "this is our passport." She held up a small rounded seal from her pack.

"LADY BEI FONG!" the guard stepped back and bowed very low, apparently trembling. "Forgive me, Lady! I had no idea you were traveling in this region! Please, board the ferry with your party!"

"Wow, they're really into this Lady stuff, aren't they?" Sokka sauntered past the guard.

"Do we charge for that…thing up there?" the ferryman looked at a guard, referring to Appa.

"He's not on the ferry," the female guard smiled underneath her broad Earth Kingdom helmet, which covered her eyes, "so he and all the people on him go for free."

Katara looked around, "There are a lot of guards on this ferry." She spotted about twenty on the small ferry, all wearing the Earthbender patch of the Earth military, bar the female guard. Aang still felt slightly nervous about the lake, but took his packs on board the ferry nonetheless, exhaling softly with his Air bending. His ears perked up, however when Sokka was tapped on the shoulder by the female guard.

"Hey, where's your passport?" she was still hiding her face under her helmet.

"We don't use passports in the Southern Water Tribe," Sokka huffed.

"How do I know you are who you say you are?"

"I'm with the Lady of Bei Fong!" Sokka put his hands up as the soldier had her finger on his throat. Katara was already summoning a water whip when the female guard lunged forward and kissed her brother on the cheek. The hat came off and the finger curled around Sokka's chin.

"Suki!" Sokka hugged the Kyoshi warrior tight. "What are you doing here?"

"We decided to leave the island and help the ferrymen take these refugees to Ba Sing Se," Suki greeted the others, "the Avatar, all of you inspired us. Many of these people are from Kyoshi Island."

"It's great to see you, Suki! "Aang took her hand, "This is Toph Bei Fong, my Earthbending _sifu_." He brought Toph to Suki, who instantly noticed her blindness but bowed anyway.

"Hey there," Toph waved.


	4. Chapter 4:Passing The Serpent

"So what's with all the Earthbender guards, Suki?" Katara noticed no other Kyoshi Warriors as the ferry finally disembarked with a giant honk.

"This is the Serpent's Pass," she pointed to the ferry's destination, "they say a giant snake occupies the lake, and is angered easily. The other warriors are on other ferries and the dock on the other side. So you've mastered Earthbending yet, Aang?"

"He has a lot to learn still," Toph punched Aang in the arm.

"Kyoshi was an Earthbender first; our stories say she took many years to learn Air Bending, because she was so stubborn and pigheaded. You'll master it eventually. I'm surprised you aren't trying Fire bending first, considering that Kyoshi liked water best of the other elements."

"Um…." Aang flashed back to the incident with Jeong-Jeong, exchanging a knowing look with Katara who instinctively put her hand over the one Aang accidentally burned.

"We kind of have a guy guiding us on that bit," Sokka broke the odd silence. "He's up there on Appa and the older people," he pointed up. "I hope that Serpent isn't like the one the people on the coast talk about."

"It _is,_" Suki put her hand on his shoulder. "One and the same, people say it can bend Water and Earth."

"At the same time?" Aang's eyes opened wide.

"That's what people say," Suki took a tray of tea served by the ferryman. "That's why there are many Earthbenders here and of course, me."

"We can take it, can't we Aang?" Sokka pumped his chest, making Suki laugh.

"I'd better talk to Mitsu about it," Aang pulled his glider out.

"That's not a good idea," Sokka waved no-no, "That Serpent might sense it if you bend anything."

"That's…amazing, Sokka!" Toph folded her arms, although she smiled in pride. "And how to you know that?"

"I'm _Water Tribe_, remember 'Lady'? I've seen all sorts of animals in the sea, from Otter Dolphins to Tiger Seals. Some of them can't see too well, so they use sound. We could tell when they came by the shattered ice they left in their wake."

Sokka laughed instantly and scratched his head after the flashbulb moment, making all the girls laugh. He was inventive and resourceful but not usually intuitive. He barely had time for an initial boast when a woman's voice penetrated the chatter on the ferry.

"It's the Serpent!"

The group went to the front of the boat to see a giant, fifty-foot tall snake-like creature with gleaming eyes and a giant mouth loom over them. Another ship was seen in the distance, but it was unclear whether they were coming or going. Appa was a dot on the horizon, apparently missed by the beast. Waterspouts appeared beside it as it roared, frightening most of the ferry's occupants into huddled, trembling masses. The Earthbenders on board hurled rocks at the Serpent, but it effortlessly knocked them out of its way, creating waves of debris and impact ripples.

"The bottom of the lake is so far down, I can't feel it!" Toph slammed her fist into the deck.

"We'll take care of it," Aang fashioned a water slide with Katara, "You protect the people with Sokka and Suki."

"So it's Serpent versus two, plus Toph," Sokka smiled in the corner of his mouth, paraphrasing a previous joke from the Earthbender.

"Oh, shut up. Can we sail nearer to those cliffs?" she turned to the captain, noting the only land she could 'see'.

"Afraid not, Lady Bei Fong, the Serpent might slam us against it. We can stop or go straight but not much else!" the ferryman looked out at the rising blue serpent.

The snake's eyes glowed, leading to two more waterspouts emerging beside it. However Aang felt more wind was in them, and soon enough they billowed into mini-cyclones.

"You're an Air Bender like me! Please, don't hurt these people!" Aang raised his ice platform closer to the creature.

The Serpent's eyes glowed again and its reply was a torrent that threw Aang right into the water. Katara raised him and fired a jet right at the Serpent, but the water simply slid around the monster and flickered harmlessly into the lake.

"Wow, it's powerful!" Sokka looked out from the deck.

"Animal benders are more powerful than most human ones, particularly in their own habitat," Mitsu suddenly appeared beside him.

"Aren't you with Appa?" Sokka shielded his eyes and looked for the Sky Bison.

"Appa should be on the other side with the elderly and that pregnant woman's family."

"Hey," Sokka pointed at Mitsu, "why aren't you fighting the Serpent thingy?"

Mitsu folded his arms, "Do I need to? We have an Air and Water bending team out there already. Earthbenders listen up!" he clapped his hands loudly until all the guards and Toph turned to him. "I'll deal with the cliff face! When you see the rubble, use it to shield yourself from the Serpent!"

"Hello, _see_?" Toph waved, only to be lifted off her feet by the rising Mitsu. "What are you doing!?"

"I need the Earthbending _sifu_ to loosen the rocks. Plus you can ride the rocks to the other side; we saw that the rock leads right to the shore. No more boat!"

Toph laughed and hollered into the wind as Aang and Katara desperately fought the Serpent off with their Bending.

"It's Mitsu and Toph! What are they doing?" Aang noticed the flying pair.

"Focus on this thing!" Katara formed an ice shield to deflect a thundering spout from the Serpent.

Toph felt Mitsu let go of her, the uncomfortable sensation of being totally blind returning to her very quickly before she landed square on her feet, on her beloved rock. Her 'foot vision' sensed a thundering blow below her, and she amplified those vibrations to loosen the rocks. The Earthbenders on the ship lifted he rocks above them as the ship pushed full steam ahead, the debris forming a useful shield. Toph couldn't see it, but she grinned in pride.

"Mitsu, where are you? Toph called out.

"In the air! Get going to the eastern shore! Go until you feel the shallow part of the lake!" he threw a massive piece of rock beside the Serpent to distract it. The ship motored past them as the Serpent fled further away, although Toph didn't move. Instead she jumped right into the lake to Mitsu and the others' horror. Suki leapt after her, but instead found herself rising on an earthen platform.

"Now I won't miss the big event," Toph grinned, soaking wet. The platform charged right into the Serpent, sending it tumbling backwards.

"You need to close its eyes, so it can't bend," Mitsu hurled more rock debris at the serpent.

"Done," Aang and Katara combined for a whirlpool that sent the creature head first into the cliff wall behind the ship.

"Follow the ship; I'll take care of the Serpent." Mitsu pointed to the smoke from the ferry's engine. The gang turned to see him disappear behind a cloud of steam, standing still in mid air.

"What is he doing!?" Toph called out, hanging onto Aang's ice platform.

"Aang, what _is_ Mitsu doing?" Katara turned round. Her eyes opened wide as the Serpent slithered out of the fog with Mitsu on top of its head.

"I _told_ you, people now need to cross the lake! Why don't you go to the other side and attack Fire Nation ships or something?" Mitsu poked the Serpent with his titanium rod. It made an apologetic sound in reply.

"Um…what's going on here?" Aang nearly dropped Toph into the water.

"I used to play with the Serpent when I was a small kid; it's just really territorial and nasty with ships," he patted the creature on the head. "Avatar Kyoshi used to ride this kind of Serpent when she was Avatar, just ask Suki."

"It's _not_ nice to try drowning people, you understand?" Katara pointed a finger at the Serpent.

"It's sorry already!" Mitsu flew in front of the Serpent, "Now, take care of those two Fire Nation ships following us."

The snake zipped back into the fog and apart from some flames all the team could notice was screaming and hollering as well as the Serpent's massive groaning sound.

"Our job is done; we have to get back to the ferry and Appa." Aang opened his glider and flew westwards.

"Um, what about me…!" Toph felt the ice shift forward as Katara took over.

"So the creature isn't evil after all?" Aang asked Mitsu as everyone gathered on the western shores of the lake. The giant wall of Ba Sing Se could be seen, but also a small, rapidly moving black object headed towards it.

"Few animals are evil by nature, especially ones that can bend. The Serpent is but one reason the Fire Nation has never invaded Ba Sing Se by way of the lake," Mitsu waved Appa down, the thankful old people and the pregnant lady scratching his ears and hugging the Sky Bison.

"Just what is that thing in the distance?" Aang looked at the giant dust cloud approaching the outer wall.

"Not something good." Mitsu hardened his glance.


	5. Chapter 5: Train me, oh Earthbender

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"I'll miss you," Sokka looked Suki straight into her heavily mascara-ed eyes.

"I have to get back to the other Kyoshi Island Warriors to get more people to the city. But I'll miss you too, sleeveless guy." The two leaned in for a brief kiss that turned passionate, much to Katara's annoyance and Toph's apathy.

Sokka looked on as Suki boarded the now-empty ferry going the other way. Mitsu had earlier assured the captain the Serpent had learnt its lesson and was now on the other side of the pass harassing Fire Navy ships, but that its memory was very short and they would have to leave very soon.

"I'm happy for you, big brother," Katara joined her brother.

"I'll never let anyone take away the people I love. Not her, not dad, not you," Sokka sternly faced his sister, a hardened fist on his side. "I don't care if I have to strap her to my back, if that's what it takes."

Toph said nothing, but blushed and turned away, walking towards Aang and Mitsu.

"What's up, guys?" she punched Mitsu on the arm.

"Something is disturbing here about that cloud headed towards the wall. Do refugees usually travel on the ground in such large numbers?"

"How should I know? This is my first time outside Gaoling on my own, though my parents took me inside the city once. The only thing I remember is that I didn't really like it at all."

"The Fire Nation has tried many times to bash through the wall. They don't rule out anything. They've tried their airships only to be shot down by boulders; they've tried tunneling only to be reminded that this is Earthbender territory. The last time was five years ago, when Lord Iroh besieged the place. The place was covered in rocks, big stones, dead bodies… Aang, whatever that thing is, it won't get to the city in a week. You have to practice your Earthbending and Water bending before you go into the city. That, and Appa needs a rest."

The Sky Bison was asleep in a pen that seemed to be a hastily converted dock. Aang hung his shoulders down and shrugged.

"Can you teach me about this 'bending between bending' that you do?"

"I don't think you can learn it until we meet the Guru in the ruins of the Eastern Air Temple."

"Who's the Guru?"

"Guru Pathik is a very, very old man. According to our history, he has known no less than three Avatars in his lifetime."

"_Three_?" Aang gasped, "How old is this Guru?"

"You can ask him when you see him. I've never met him myself but when Monk Gyatso came to the library, it was recorded that he mentioned the Guru. Avatar Roku, who was the Avatar who reached out to us, knew him. But for now, you have to continue training with Sifu Toph."

"Okay…I'm still interested though."

"Like I said, bending between bending, you have to bend in order to see how _I_ bend," Mitsu made some Air Bending movements, " It doesn't matter what kind of style is used, Force Bending, Cloth Bending, Hair Bending…." Mitsu listed them off.

"There's _hair _bending?" Toph looked up at Mitsu.

"Mari Kahan of the Northern Water Tribe found a way to manipulate fibers and hairs. Those chauvinist snobs told her to get lost and she wandered the northern parts of the world until she settled in the Earth Kingdom. That was a long time ago; maybe it was Avatar Kuruk's time."

"They're not chauvinist snobs anymore, at least the last time I was there," Aang wondered about the strange names for bending just mentioned, "but I want you to be there as well, to help me learn Earthbending more."

"Toph is enough. I haven't read anything from my mini library in a while," Mitsu pulled out a small book and levitated onto a nearby rock outcropping.

"Sometimes I have no idea what he is thinking," Aang turned to his teacher.

"He's not an Earthbender, therefore he is naturally confusing. Like you. Come on, student, onto the rocks and off this ferry dock."

Katara and Sokka had gone into the port town for supplies, leaving the other three on the nearby rock formations. Mitsu was still reading a book as Toph made some stances for Aang to follow, punching him on the shoulder when he couldn't do them. Toph knew all the basic forms, although she herself didn't use them due to her blindness.

"Straight legs, spine downwards," Toph made a frog squat. Aang strained downwards, fighting the urge to go up, as was the norm for Air benders. Roku told him once learning their opposite element was 'bitter work' although in the end he was the premier master of all elements including water, which had forced him to spend three extra years in the freezing North pole. Aang lifted a leg into a stomp, sending a small wave into the side of the mesa they were practicing on.

"Again," Toph sent a bigger wave into the wall. Aang did accordingly, hurling his knee sideways sending a rock wave forward.

"One more time with a rock this time," Toph raised a rock and lobbed it over the outcrop where Mitsu was sprawled on his back, reading his book. The ball hurtled way over the Force Bender and landed with a giant thud on the other side.

"My turn," Aang lifted his own rock and it took off high over the mesa, although the angle was strange. Toph's slap on the back of his neck was not a good sign.

"That rock isn't something you push with wind! Stop cheating and use proper Earthbending! Mitsu, LOOK OUT!"

The rock was pushed more vertically than horizontally and was now hurtling downwards. Aang and Toph were helpless to see it plummet but amazed that the rock hung inches from Mitsu. His finger barely touched the boulder before he casually flipped it aside, turning on his back and shielding his face from the sun with the book.

"Did you see that?" Aang got another punch in the arm after forgetting the obvious.

"Of course, not, try again!" Toph lobbed another rock at the mesa wall. Aang managed it this time, huffing and puffing at the effort. Toph barely broke a sweat- unlike Katara, she was already a great master of her element when Aang met her and it showed. Toph casually raised an Earth platform, motioning for Aang to do the same. He raised both his arms and yanked the Earth up, arriving at Toph's altitude easily enough.

"You're learning faster than I thought," Toph swung her hands sideways and disappeared down a hole in her platform, the earth easily parting for her. Aang twirled and did the same, undaunted by the darkness that ensued. Toph taught him to see with his entire body and the rock was 'visible' through his nervous system. The sensation of sunlight on his skin washed over him as he popped up onto the ground right next to Toph, landing nimbly on his toes.

"Not bad, now we go to the next level of training."

"Who taught you all this? Master Yu?" Aang lifted a rock platform again.

"I taught myself everything after learning from the Badger Moles," Toph waved her arms towards the mesa, "now race me up this hill!"

Aang swung his arms from side to side as Toph showed him and found himself emulating Roku racing Sud up the hill in his vision. He was catching up to his _sifu _on the vertical ride, feeling the resistance of gravity as they clambered up the rock. It was the total opposite of Air bending, where there was no resistance at all to movement. Earthbending was harsh, rigid and very deeply rooted, although he could feel the Earth flowing underneath him as he raised his platform higher and higher. With air you simply made it move, with earth you had to yank it out of its place and force it to do what you wanted- unless you knew the way the earth was structured and moved with the flow.

"He's caught up?" Toph felt Aang's rock on her left. She widened her arc and boosted herself up further.

"Almost there," he also widened his arc as the lip of the mesa came closer.

All of a sudden, Mitsu's metal rod fell on him, its incredible weight nearly dislodging the rock platform and slowing him to a near crawl-speed. Toph hurtled over the top and cheered for herself, giving a knowing glance at Mitsu, who smiled and went back to his book.

"You can't Earthbend without expecting resistance," Toph peered over the mesa's tip as Aang grunted his way up inch by inch. The rod must have weighed the amount a small mountain would, but with enough effort Aang managed to use the rock as leverage to help him lift it up the wall.

"That's right," Mitsu muttered to himself,"Don't take it all on yourself, use the earth to help you," he flipped a page.

"Come on, Aang!" Toph called out just a few feet above him.

"The Earth is your platform, Avatar. It will support you in all your endeavors and give you balance in all your other elements," Aang remembered what Monk Gyatso told him long ago. As he clambered over the mesa's tip the staff lifted off him and landed near its master, who balanced it on the tip of his pinky finger.

"Good," Toph put her hand on Aang's back.

"That staff of yours is really heavy!" Aang said between heavy breaths.

"You think? I don't know about that."

"So where's this bending between bending? All I saw was you lifting a rock, that's standard Earthbending to me."

"I'm not an Earthbender," Mitsu got up and lifted his staff. "But you have to be! So focus on that and be patient. Besides, you shouldn't delve too much into our arts. You have a lot to learn about your own." Mitsu got up and put the book into his pack.

"You want to train some more?" Toph put her arms to her sides.

"Earthbending is _exhausting_! I need a drink; I'm going back to Appa. Judging by that thing going over to the Outer Wall, we might have two or three days before it's close enough."

"Then go to Appa, I need to speak to your _sifu_ here. Go find Sokka and Katara as well, by your estimation we will need to set out tomorrow," Mitsu sat back down and took a swig from his water tube. Aang lifted an Earth platform and slid downwards towards the port town, soon disappearing out of sight.

"Twinkle Toes has no stamina at all," Toph kicked at a stone.

"I think he's close to mastery," Mitsu opened his portable umbrella. Toph could feel the sun's heat diminish slightly and knew what it was.

"Close doesn't cut it, especially when the Fire Nation is knocking on the doors of Ba Sing Se itself. Hey, you know what that is, don't you?" she pointed to the grinding sound coming from the north.

"I don't know what it is, but I have a good idea who is piloting it. Do you hear the smaller sounds beside it?"

"Sounds like a herd of animals, I'm not that good." Toph shrugged. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Have you finished reading what your father wrote? After the Serpent's attack you couldn't be dislodged from the book."

"Yes…but it doesn't change anything, I'm not going back until Aang succeeds," she sat on the barren earth.

"That's what I wanted to hear. Nothing's changed at all," he smiled to himself.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" she turned to him.

"You're the only one of us with both parents, in a well protected town. Not many people here at the port or even in Ba Sing Se are so lucky."

Toph heard his heartbeat skip twice, but it was hardly a lie he was telling. Ba Sing Se was full of refugees, despite the strict enforcement of order within the walls.

"Listen, Lady Bei Fong. After you all arrive in Ba Sing Se I suggest we split up temporarily. That place can cause tensions between people, and I need to see some old friends."

"I've been there before, I didn't like it much. At last at home poor people could come to our house and do odd jobs for cash. That place is weird, and if it wasn't for Aang's mission I'd rather be elsewhere! You're a big boy, I'm sure you can take care of yourself."

"I'm not disagreeing with you. The others will probably not be, at least in the beginning. That's why I need you to take charge of the team when we get there. You're one of the most mature people your age I've met, plus you're from a prestigious family. I expect you to teach them Earth Kingdom mannerisms; otherwise they'll never get to meet the Earth King."

"That's a bit hard, since most gestures have to be demonstrated," Toph waved her hand in front of her blank eyes. "Besides, why can't you do it? You seem to be in the know about this stuff."

"I told you; as soon as we get there I have to leave for a while. The Dai Li don't take kindly to people from the Desert, they think we're all thieving scum." Mitsu looked ruefully at the wall. "What's more, you're the only native among us."

"Wow, that's a lot of responsibility," Toph huffed.

"By leading the Avatar through his challenges, we all have a lot of responsibilities. Oh, I have to train a bit myself! How _do_ I forget…"

"Hah, you didn't want Aang to see but you don't mind me being here?"

"Exactly," he leapt onto his feet after feigning a fall. Toph started to chuckle but then flat out laughed as Mitsu practiced.

"That's a good one, Mitsu!" she rolled around. Sure, he promised to show the technique- but to the blind person in the party!

"Tell me what you sense?" he said between moves.

Toph put her ears up, feeling a lot of vibrations in the ground as well as sudden air movements and minute sounds like screeching. There was a notable hum in the air, but Mitsu was remarkably light of foot, with only one foot on the ground each time a new move could be heard.

"Shut your ears," he sounded. Toph rammed her hands onto her ears as the hum swelled to a giant boom, preceded by a giant whooshing sound that resembled a falling tree. She wished she could have seen it, as the air seemed to move in total harmony along with the earth that was carried along with it.

"What was that? And what is that trail on the ground?"

"The result of force being built up and directed in one direction; it might get stronger if proper Bending is used in conjunction. I'm still trying to find a better form for this motion."

"Looks alright to me," Toph grinned.

"I'm not Sokka, you know. That means I have to work harder. You're _cute,_ you know," he pinched her on the cheek. She pulled away but blushed slightly.

"Stop it," she was now blushing on both cheeks. When she regained her composure Mitsu was already waking down the sheer walls of the mesa, headed back to town. For some strange reason, he was whistling.


	6. Chapter 6: Me And You Versus the Drill

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Are we packed up and ready to go?" Aang lifted his pack onto his shoulders.

"Yup, Appa's ready," Katara called out from above, "oh, so is Momo!" the lemur popped out from behind Katara.

"All ready to go," Sokka mounted the Sky Bison.

"Then we proceed as planned earlier," Mitsu levitated over Appa's head, throwing him an apple.

"Ready, Aang?" Toph cracked her knuckles.

"Ready when you are, Toph." The two elevated a platform of earth and raced towards the Wall. Appa followed slowly behind them, lest he be shot at by flying boulders. The people are the port were told security was tighter than usual at the Ba Sing Se terminals as well as at the Great Gate for some reason, though one look from the glowering Dai Li agents silenced any queries. One last ferry was allowed to dock at the city before the marine gates were shut, and it happened to be the one with Zuko, Iroh and the Freedom Fighters. Other ferries were temporarily halted and searched, which is why Sokka planned to avoid the ferry altogether and with Appa and Toph's help the group was to literally scale the Outer Wall and warn the Earth Kingdom soldiers about the approaching Fire Nation behemoth.

"It looks like a giant screw," Sokka looked through his telescope.

"That's no screw, it's a drill," Katara took her turn at the eyeglass. "It's too obvious what they're thinking."

Meanwhile, Toph and Aang were motoring their way to the wall's lower edge as Appa followed closely behind in the shadow of the wall as it lengthened towards them. The Earth Kingdom guards on the wall moved in rotational shifts, but their focus was on the Fire Nation force headed towards the northeastern gate on the other side of the city.

"We're here," Toph melded the rock with that of the wall, "going up!" She and Aang cycled their arms upwards, lifting the platform up. Appa hovered beside them, now totally shielded by the wall's enormous shadow. Explaining a giant Sky Bison would be strange enough, but this was the best way to get to the top. Their speed was accelerated by Mitsu pushing the platform upwards with his bending, and soon enough the Avatar and his friends were standing on top of the great Wall of Ba Sing Se.

They did not go unnoticed though, as a hundred or so Earth Kingdom soldiers were around them in a matter of seconds. Their leader was a hunchbacked general with a strange eye, who laughed at the Avatar's warnings of a giant drill.

"The city is impenetrable, that's why it's called Ba Sing Se, not Na Sing Se…" he crossed his pockmarked arms. "I've sent out a squad of elite Earthbenders to stop that thing, they're called the Terra Team," he invited them to look through the mounted scope.

Sure enough, a group of yellow-clad Earth warriors were already approaching the giant drill, flipping tanks over with ease and shunting rocks at the metal behemoth. The colors of War Minister Qing were on the mast of the metallic beast, but Aang and Katara had a sneaky feeling a certain Fire Nation Princess was on board as well.

"Bet you five pieces the circus freak and the Queen of the Glum Slum are going to come out soon," Sokka held the money out to Toph.

"That's a dumb bet, I've got nothing to bet against that," Toph shrugged, grinning.

Sure enough, Ty Lee and Mai popped up out of a side hatch, Mai's throwing knives raining down on the Earth soldiers. Those on the wall watched in awe as the circus trained girl disabled the entire team with precise strikes, leaving them paralyzed and unable to bend or even walk.

"The Terra Team is terrible," Sokka jibed, although his look was serious. "I have a plan, but we have to get those men out of there first!"

"Leave it to us to give you cover," one of the sentries lifted a rock and bent it towards the two girls. They retreated, but only as far as the hatch they came through. Knowing Mai's knives and Ty Lee's speed, the boulders were only going to crush the prone soldiers as the enormous drill carried on extending like an earthworm to the Outer Wall.

"Leave it to me," Mitsu put on the mask Aang saw him wear at the library.

"Why are you putting that on?" inquired the General.

"This is formal war, in the tradition of Avatar Kyoshi. Besides, I might want to go out with them someday," his grin was visible underneath the owl-like eye mask.

"Humph," Toph crossed her arms and looked away. Sokka raised an eyebrow but turned to Katara. "We're going to need some water for this plan, General."

"Take all you want, but what for…?" the general began to sound terrified at the ever louder sounds of the drill approaching.

Mitsu leapt off the wall, dodging the last hail of boulders from behind him and Force Bending them at the drill. The machine simply gobbled them up, but the way was clear for him to land beside the prone Terra Team, staff in hand. Two Earth Kingdom troops hurriedly bent a hole through the wall and began the extraction.

"Who's that?" Ty Lee prepared to grapple down with Mai. "I haven't seen_ him_ before."

"Who cares, it's another guy with another weapon."

Ty Lee leapt into the fray, but she found herself running into an invisible wall as Mitsu walked slowly towards her, pushing her back. Mai's knives just bounced off the invisible shield as the Earth troops quickly dragged the last of their stricken men through the hole, which they promptly sealed.

"Hey, no fair!" Ty Lee fell to the ground after an ill-advised flying kick.

"Who is this?" Mai picked up her deflected knives.

"I'd like to ask you to leave," Mitsu spoke in a deeper voice than usual. "Please?" he smiled at Ty Lee.

"Um…" she thought about it for a second, but Mai slapped her on the back of the head.

"No? But it's not fair, two fair skinned beauties out here in the boiling heat trying to bore through a wall?" Mitsu shrugged.

"He's got a point…ow!" Mai gave her best _shut up_ look to Ty Lee.

In the corner of his eye Mitsu saw Sokka, Aang, Katara and Toph run to the other side of the drill, disappearing down an Earth bent hole and reappearing on the other end, near the slurry drain.

"Why don't you fight us hand to hand, or are you using some trick to hide your lack of skill?" Mai pointed to Mitsu. "And that mask… who the heck fights with a mask?"

"The Blue Spirit," Mitsu took a fighting stance.

"You've heard of the Blue Spirit?" Ty Lee looked at Mai. "The thief prince of the Fire Nation?"

"I've heard of him, you could say I was inspired."

"Let's see how _inspired_ you are by this!" Ty Lee leapt into Mitsu's stance with a swinging roundhouse that only connected with his staff. The pain of hitting the titanium staff was immense as Ty Lee's toes instantly inflamed and filled with blood.

"That hurt!" she realigned herself, focusing on her unhurt foot.

"Using the Dead Hand," Mitsu twirled his staff to deflect Mai's knives, "an old technique once taught to non-Benders all over the world… impressive."

Ty Lee was getting frustrated as Mitsu blocked every tap and jab she tried to make on his pressure points with his annoying staff, which she could neither move nor touch offensively. Her knuckles were throbbing now, together with both her toes and one of her shoulders, thanks to a lone strike from the metal staff. Mai tried close combat, but found herself thrown into Ty Lee.

"Hey, there's another one!" Mai pointed to Toph, who was outside trying to hold the drill back with a massive rock outcrop. Mai threw a single knife at the Earthbender, but the blade stopped in midair and dropping dead onto the floor.

"Don't you touch her now," Mitsu approached Mai, though he swung his staff backwards and knocked Ty Lee out cold. He grabbed Mai by the collar and threw her below the rolling treads of the drill, where she sunk into a shallow hole courtesy of Toph. The treads would roll harmlessly over her, but she would not be out for a while thanks to the drill's slow speed. Dragging Ty Lee by her feet, Mitsu moved over to the struggling Earthbender.

"Hey, need a hand?" He yelled over the sound of heavy machinery.

"I'd like ten thousand! Hey, go inside and bend all the metal you like!"

"That's not how my bending works! There's too much metal here, plus it's riveted together tight!" Mitsu looked up. "Where are Aang and the others?"

"Inside, Sokka has this plan to hit all the pressure points on this thing, like the flea jumper here does! If you can't bend this thing, what are you going to do?"

Mitsu leapt into the open maintenance shaft, grasping a handle. "I'm going to give Sokka a little hand with his plan. Oh, find a hard hat, willya?"

"Very funny, wise guy!" she pushed even more rock upwards into the wheels and treads, which seemed to slowly gobble it up.

Mitsu's footsteps clattered on the metal behemoth as he ran towards the rear, passing by a frozen Fire Nation engineer whose backup plans he snatched out of his hip pouch.

"Thank you, Katara," he Force Bent the staff above his head as he balanced the unconscious Ty Lee on his left shoulder and the plans in his two hands. "This looks promising, a pipeline for extra rock and water…"

While Aang and Katara toiled at breaking the braces that held the drill together, Mitsu went the other way until he found a hatch labeled "Slurry". Just as well, since Ty Lee began to stir. Her eyes opened to the sight of a river of rock, mud and water flowing to a dim light in the distance.

"Hey, what the!" her hands were at her sides, crammed into the walls of the hatch.

"Time for a swim, princess," she felt his heavy boot knock her into the river of sludge, and then heard the hatch shut behind her. The current was extremely powerful and dragged her out of the way in no time.

"Right," Mitsu looked over the plans. He took a group of metal wrenches and with precision magnetized them to nearby nuts and bolts. By turning them all at the same time, the panels slid off easily, revealing the humming motors that drove the drill forward.

"Announcement, we have made it to the wall of Ba Sing Se!" Qing's voice cheered over the communication tubes.

"Oh no," Mitsu saw what drove the engine- about thirty Firebenders, led by a certain General with green flame whips.

"Well, if it isn't the kid from the desert slum!" Admiral Chan's hands glowed with his trademark green fire.

"I'm amazed you survived that Fire Bomb… especially since you left your men there to burn with it!" Mitsu made a fist while the Firebenders looked puzzled at their leader.

"Don't look at me like that! Keep the engine flames burning! We've reached the wall, and I want to be the first general over that wall! Finally, I will have equaled the Dragon of the West!"

"You're nothing like him," Mitsu leapt into the engine room and showered all the engineers and Firebenders with the wrenches and all the other tools in the room. Fire shields were no use against metal weapons, which knocked many out cold and others onto the floor.

"We'll see about that, boy!" Chan's feet thundered onto the control console, beside the unconscious engineer that was manning it. Chan's green flame washed over the spot Mitsu was standing, but he was not there. Instead a pipe narrowly missed his ducking head as the other Firebenders began to flee the engine room, where a multitude of uncontrolled fires were spreading. Some tried to control the fire with their bending, but gauges were exploding and chemicals were burning as well, making it a hopeless situation. Chan's blasting at the dodging Mitsu wasn't helping; the fire drill manual was burnt to a crisp, while the metallic plate with emergency details was melted by the green fire.

"Warning to all personnel, abandon drill! Abandon drill!" Qing's voice came over the loud tubes, "Slurry pipeline has been blocked by unknown object or force! We're going to break apart!"

"He's done it!" Mitsu raised a fist in salute to Aang and the others.

"Done what?" Chan saw that he was the last Fire Nation person left in the crumbling room.

"Made sure you can settle for Weasel of the West," Mitsu force bent the admiral into the metallic wall and turned to leave the corridor. Aang had hit a prime point in the front of the drill, which made all the braces he and Katara cut slide off. The engine room would have held the drill together, but it too was collapsing. Mitsu had to duck flying shrapnel and falling bolts as he fled, but the slurry pipe was now blocked by a fallen girder. The only way out was up onto the roof, so he bent the fragmented roof metal apart, landing on top of the drill. He could make out Aang on the far side, covered in earth and mud, with Momo licking it off of his master. He waved to his friend, but barely dodged the flame sucker punch that was behind him.

"Must I bow in front of her Royal Highness?" Mitsu used the same deeper voice as earlier.

"Get out of my way, stranger!" Azula was already generating lightning, her eyes brimming with hate for Aang and all his friends.

"I think you have to _find y_our way first," Mitsu force bent the floor under Azula, whose off balance lightning shot harmlessly into the air. "You're not lost, just walking backwards from the right path. Besides, you're kinda cute."

"Damn you all!" Azula cursed as she fell backwards into the slurry pit, where a disheveled Ty Lee was slumped.

"He called you cute?" the acrobat got was a slinging of mud in her face. Mai could be seen sliding out from under the stalled tread, brushing off the dirt on her clothes.

"We lost," her deadpan look not helping the situation. She had a hint of a smirk, as she was relatively clean compared to her two friends. More Earthbender soldiers had come down the wall now and were finishing the drill off while Fire Nation airships were, instead of raiding the city in glory were picking up fleeing troops who fell over each other to grab the lines. Five men lifted the General and the Minister onto a larger balloon, the former still wrapped in metal paneling and the latter fretting about nervously.

"Retreat!" the Minister barked with a bullhorn as some of the airships were pelted with giant flying boulders.

"Retreat ?" Azula grabbed the captain of her balloon by the collar, "The Avatar is down there!"

"Forgive me, my liege! If we stay here we'll be crushed… literally!"

All Azula could do was kneel on the balloon's platform and scream


	7. Chapter 7: The Tired Old Uncle

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

On the monorail, a certain flame-scarred boy turned to the distant smoke and commotion on the outermost wall.

"What's going on, uncle?" Zuko could only see thick black smoke and hints of boulders raining down the wall.

"Someone is trying to breach the wall by force, and has learnt their lesson, "Iroh didn't move his eyes from his tea.

"Weren't you here before?"

Iroh looked silently as his tea. "I was here, for five hundred days. Your cousin died about there, where the smoke is."

"Oh, sorry uncle," Zuko sat silently beside his only relative (as far as he was concerned).

"You have to understand something, Zuko. This is the first time I've seen the inside of the city, but I don't feel like the man who laid siege to it five years ago. We are not here to start trouble."

"I'm not the one who fire bent his tea back at the station!" Zuko whispered, nudging his uncle's arm.

"That was the last time I will firebend in Ba Sing Se, apart from training you, and that when we find a place no one will see us."

"How are we going to find something like that in a place like this?"

"I still have friends inside here. Remember Mister Fu from the Misty Palms Oasis? He was on the boat before us."

Zuko was about to smile and compliment his uncle, but two Dai Li agents shuffled past him; their low hats seemingly making them look at everyone at once. The Fire Nation prince lowered his gaze and suppressed his breath until the enforcers were on the opposite side of the carriage.

"The Dai Li," Iroh spoke under his breath. "They were the ones…who killed your cousin…so long ago. Iroh felt a jabbing in his heart at the memory of Lu Tien, his son lost five years ago to a ruthless Earth Kingdom maneuver that lost him one thousand men, fifty siege machines and of course his only son. The survivors of the move said that only twenty of the Earth Kingdom's famous elite police unit took part in the move, sustaining no losses. This was the turning point of Iroh's siege and what broke his heart for the rest of his life. The only thing that stopped Lu Tien' s body being torn apart by four Earth Kingdom Ostrich Horses was a personal appearance by the Earth King Kuei himself on the frontline. In a grand gesture of respect, the bespectacled King returned the Fire Nation prince to his father in exchange for the surrender of the Fire Nation and the total retreat of the entire army, complete with the leaving behind of prisoners, war machines and booty. Iroh returned to the Fire Nation a failure, and subsequently lost his title as Crown Prince. Despite being fifty, his father Azulon was still going strong at seventy and chose Zuko' s father Ozai for his crown prince. Azulon would have ruled for more years if not for a strange occurrence of events that led to his death and Ozai becoming Fire Lord. Iroh chose self imposed exile, although thousands in the army swore allegiance to him no matter where he wanted to go. One ship crew in particular was very close to the Firebending master, offering to give him their vessel for his travels. That crew may have been lost in Admiral Zhao's great loss at the North Pole, more good people for Iroh to mourn.

Iroh opened his slightly misty eyes as the carriage screeched to a halt. Zuko was his 'son' now, and after many tricks and turns chasing the elusive Avatar were now in the city of the Fire Nation's greatest enemy for no particular reason other than fate. Something drew him here, the polar opposite of the Fire Nation- or so he thought.

"I need new experiences too, I guess," he turned to Zuko, although he didn't seem to be talking to his nephew. His first footfall in Ba Sing Se felt like a grand victory, but soon faded into the mundane weight of his own body. Zuko found himself holding his uncle up, something he wasn't expecting to do.

"Uncle?"

"This place is heavy!" he let out a belch, "just like the local tea!"

"First time here, old master?" a young man called out to "Lee" as he was known in his passport. "I haven't been here in a long time myself."

"We're refugees, but you don't look like one," Zuko looked up at the man on the stairs. The man had his face shrouded by a conical hat, but his voice was surely that of a teenager.

"My uncle had some bad tea at the station, that's all. Do you mind, we need to get through."

"It's alright, Lee. I know that voice, even though I haven't heard it in five years."

"Mr. Mushi, is it?" Mitsu tipped his hat upwards with his staff and examined Iroh's fake passport.

"Mr. Ishihara, is it?" Iroh stood up without support.

"Indeed it is, old uncle," the two hugged.

"Uncle…?" Zuko looked slightly confused as the two men looked each other over.

"You've grown very tall since the last time! Not the twelve year old runt I saw passing the desert rim! This is my nephew, Zuko."

Zuko felt his sweat freeze to his face and ducked in case of any Dai Li overhearing. "Uncle, not our _real_ names!"

"It's alright, Zuko. He knows who I am, he was a friend of your cousin," Iroh patted Mitsu on the back.

"You have friends in the strangest of places," Zuko clasped Mitsu on the forearm.

"I'm not a native, I just arrived here myself. I went overland, like Sand Benders do. So what brings my tired old uncle to the city of walls and secrets?"

"I'm on extended vacation, I thought I'd come back as a tourist," Iroh chuckled, "it's an unexpected boon to see you here! I thought you'd be in that library of yours reading for the rest of your life! Well Lee, it looks like we have a traveling companion for now."

"I can stay with you for a while, I guess. I have some personal stuff to deal with, and the rest of my…caravan also might get worried," Mitsu was careful not to mention Aang and his friends, who had warned him about Zuko. Iroh was another matter entirely as Mitsu had his own memories from five years ago regarding the old uncle.

"Of course, I know what you're talking about," Iroh nodded. "But I'm hungry, have you found us an inn to stay in?"

"Of course, my tired old uncle," Mitsu kissed Iroh's hand.

"Stop calling him that!" Zuko was slowly burning up.

"That's what I called myself when Mitsu and I first met. It only brings a smile to my face, Zuko. Onward…To the inn!" Iroh sprang into a brief march, singing along the way.

The three walked down Ba Sing Se's wonderfully crafted streets, the last metropolis in the world not run or run over by the Fire Nation. The walk was long, but the vibrant outer city life made it pleasant. Iroh didn't seem to mind, but Zuko looked around, half suspicious and half curious. He was a kind of wanderer himself and remembered quite a few things from his own solo travels. He fondly remembered the town where he met a young girl and lit lanterns for her; somewhat wishing he could see her again. Mai would always be first in his heart, but it was ironic that people liked him more _outside_ the Fire Nation where it was less about etiquette and obedience and more about one's own bearing. Iroh taught him to understand the other nations, and his assault on the South Pole still weighed heavily on his mind. The terrified children, the determination of Sokka to kill him and his men, the brutal Zhao fighting him over the simplest of matters all made his shoulders weigh heavily. Zhao's death at the North Pole did nothing to soothe his nerves; Zuko realized that he never even stopped to see the Spirit Oasis or the North Polar Tribe's city of ice. He wished he hadn't been so shallow back then.

"We're here!" Iroh chirped, putting his hand on Mitsu's shoulder.

"The Jade Dragon Tea House, nice name," Zuko tried to cheer up.

"This is the best place to have a sip and a nip, as they say. Look, it's some people I know," Mitsu walked over to a group of merchants.

Iroh sat at a table with a Pai Sho pattern, clearing the board and propping up the adjoining tea table. Zuko mumbled something about kid's games and sat beside his uncle.

"We're playing Pai Sho now?" Zuko held his cup in one hand.

The Pasha turned from talking to Mitsu and sat opposite the ex-Fire Nation general, placing a tile in the middle.

"Do you play?" his baritone voice reverberated through the room.

"Sometimes, in the best of seasons…Since we're sitting at the table now, I guess I have to counter your move." Iroh calmly took a tile from under the table and adjoined it to the tile in the middle.

"The White Lotus…" Zuko noticed the middle tile.

"How are your children?" the Pasha made a strange move with his next piece, one that wouldn't win him the game at all.

"My eldest son cries all the time despite his age," Iroh exhaled and placed his tile in another strange position.

"We old fathers, we have to keep them quiet and healthy," the Pasha put a black tile near the far side of the board.

"My eldest is on another long trip," Iroh sighed and attached a tile to another part of the board.

In the end the pattern of the tiles, like their conversation made no sense if one was to count the score, but it resembled a beautiful flower in bloom with the White Lotus in the center. Zuko was stuck to his seat, unlike the last time where Fu and his uncle went into another room to discuss matters.

"I see we finally meet, Grand Master Iroh," the Pasha bowed.

"Likewise, Grand Master Mehmet Pasha," Iroh bowed in return.

To Zuko it seemed like the two men grew even taller, their bright eyes focusing on each other. Zuko felt lightning circling the two older men, although no one else in the inn apparently felt the same way. Mitsu stood beside the Pasha, who was the same person who had ferried him and Aang's party to the Serpent's Pass.

"All we need is Master Piandao and we'll have a convention," Iroh patted the Pasha on the shoulders.

"He shuts himself in his compound now and turns away many eager young men," the Pasha inhaled a hookah pipe that a waiter had brought him. To Zuko he looked like a pirate king, which technically wasn't far from the truth.

"Remember him, Zuko? He taught you swordsmanship when you were a lot younger. This is my nephew Zuko, Mehmet."

Zuko got up and bowed, the Pasha eyeing him top to bottom.

"Piandao's last student before he closed his doors?"

"No, I'm afraid he took Lu Tien's death almost as badly as I did…" Iroh remembered the painful split between the Fire Nation's four greatest soldiers before the siege of Ba Sing Se. "Piandao resigned his commission and cursed my son for staying in the military, Jeong-Jeong disappeared altogether, and only I was left. Here I am again at Ba Sing Se, all by myself with no son, no best friends but …as a tourist!" He put on his makeshift straw hat and grinned. The Pasha laughed and waved for a servant to attend to Iroh.

"Give him and his boy full room and board for as long as they like," the Pasha waved a certificate and handed it to the servant. The servant bowed and snapped her fingers for porters.

"We don't have much luggage; we're refugees after all…" Zuko moved next to Mitsu.

"The porters are not for your luggage, they are for your uncle. They have a tradition in the Sand Bender Tribes on greeting people of great rank and age. Just watch."

The two porters lifted Iroh, still sipping his tea, on their shoulders and moved the singing general up the stairs. Zuko hurriedly followed them up with another porter taking their meager belongings behind the prince.

"Honestly, I had no idea," Mitsu turned to the Pasha.

"I am pleased they are here, the safest city in the world," the Pasha took another whiff of his hookah pipe. "That man has seen too much sadness in his life outside of these walls. Here he can do what he likes best with the one he considers his own son. Iroh deserves peace and his nephew must control his inner turmoil."

"It takes a Sand Bender no effort to read people's expressions, I guess," Mitsu took a swig out a water bottle.

"We are descendants of the earth and the wind, child of the Great Rock. Nothing seems to change in the desert, but we both know that is not true. The sands shift and the winds change with the times."

"When will you tell the Avatar?" Mitsu lowered his tone.

"I cannot tell even Iroh what we know about the Avatar's kind, and even you know too much as it is. Were you not proven to be trustworthy I would have stuffed you full of sand years ago."

"Did Sozin really … you know?"

The Pasha shook his head and put his hookah pipe down, signaling the porter to take the pipes back behind the bar.

"We speak enough of it, Ishihara. You must remember your own oath. Until the Avatar himself discovers, you cannot reveal it to him or anyone he knows. Only your kind ever knew this apart from our tribes." The Pasha got up and bowed.

Mitsu bowed in return. "I do not forget my vows, Pasha. Or my history. It was fortuitous to meet you here, where I think I will be staying as well. Can you do me one favor?"

"Name it, child."

"I'd like a Messenger Hawk," Mitsu took his staff off the wall. "I'm feeling like writing some messages."

"You know as well as I do they do not allow those birds in Ba Sing Se! Even the Avatar's beast has to roam the fields behind the Outer Wall, and the farmers are not pleased."

"All the better, I still have to meet a few other people here, but I want to keep in touch with them. The Fire Nation won't give up after the big drill failed, and I don't trust the Dai Li one bit."

"They do not trust us either," the Pasha folded his cloak over his shoulder. "I will send you a box of premium blend Flower Tea in the morning."

Mitsu heard Iroh joyfully singing up in the deluxe room, playing his wind-pipe. "Wow, he sings like he owns the place."

"He _does_, what certificate you think I gave him?" the Pasha smiled and turned towards the door. "Temporarily, of course," he winked. "I'm out of town."

"It's a Messenger Hawk! Wow, they don't have these at the South Pole anymore!" Sokka proudly displayed the bird, which had a natural pouch for carrying scrolls and letters.

"What message is it bringing us?" Toph got up off her back.

"It's from Mitsu!" Katara took the scroll. Toph was on her feet while Aang came closer.

"Come on Sugar Queen, what does it say?"

"You're awfully anxious, Toph," Sokka blinked, before getting a punch in the hip.

"I miss him, don't any of you?" Toph tugged at Katara's arm.

"Ahem," Katara cleared her throat, "he says that he's in another part of the city, in the outer rim of the city. He tells us to be careful who we talk to and who speaks to us, and whatever we do, don't mention the drill and the war outside. We're to send him a message if we do get that audience with the Earth King."

"That's it?" Toph folded her arms.

"There's more," Katara further unfurled the scroll.

"Look out for a strange man accompanied by a bear. What does that mean?"

"What's a 'bear'? Doesn't he mean a Platypus Bear?" Aang looked at Momo.

"P.S: I REALLY MEAN "BEAR", NOT PLATYPUS BEAR."

"I've never seen one of those before," Sokka scratched his head. "Well, Mitsu's the one with the books."

"P.S.S: SOKKA, DON'T HUNT THE BEAR FOR MEAT." Katara giggled, while her brother folded his arms.

"We're not going anywhere waiting for that Joo Dee woman to get back to us," Katara rolled the scroll back neatly. "Doesn't anyone have an idea how to get to the top quicker? Toph?"

"Don't look at me, it's not like I'm _from_ here. Why not just use the Avatar shtick and get inside that way?"

"I've tried; the guards don't want to let me in. They say I need the proper identification. What's more identifying than this big blue arrow on my head?" Aang pointed to the obvious.

"I'll write a reply to Mitsu for advice, but we have to move quickly," Katara took an ink box from the shelf behind her together with a brush. "The King has to know about the Day of the Black Sun as soon as possible."

"I got so bored, I made that zoo outside," Aang pointed to the outer wall. Appa's bored as well since Sky Bison usually fly higher up in the sky. Still, we've all had the best food in a while."

A knock on the door was answered by Toph, who instantly recognized the footfalls of the person outside.

"Hey, it's the Pasha from the desert!" Toph waved.

"It is good to see all of you," the Pasha bowed and handed Sokka a bag. "Your friend sends you this; you seemed very interested in it."

Sokka opened the bag and pulled out a gear compass. "Wow, this is great, I like it! How does it work?"

"We need your help, Pasha," Katara invited him into their house, a reward from the Earth government for their service in the drill incident. Mitsu parted ways with them immediately after the mop-up and wasn't present when the generals handed them the keys, but told them about the bureaucratic process to get an audience- six to eight weeks.

"We're trying to see the King," Aang sat beside the Sand Tribe chief.

"Ba Sing Se is a city of many walls and many rules, which is why we Sand Tribes are merely transients here. I am only here for the protection of our women and children. The sands are quieter and less alive but at least they are safe. Even I, chief of many tribes cannot see the king so easily."

"I am sick and tired of these rules!" Aang kicked at a stool. "I'd have better luck seeing the Fire Lord!"

"Let's just bust in," Toph stomped onto the wooden floor, disappointed by the lack of earthen action.

"I heard nothing you said," the Pasha pretended not to look.

"The reply is written," Katara grinned, sending the Hawk out into the open air with the message. "We'll give him two days to join us at the front door."

"Two days, and then you will see the King," the Pasha counted his fingers. "I have not seen him since he was a boy."

"He never gets out?" Sokka fumbled with the spherical compass.

"They never let him out, they say his voice is too holy for people to hear. Some say he sneaks out at times to mingle with the people, but the locals are hardly ideal sources for news."

"It would be easy to sneak into the city if no one knows what you look like," Aang mused. "By the way, Pasha, do you know what a 'bear' is?"

"Just a 'bear'?" he fondled his beard and shrugged. "I have no idea, young man."

"I'm so excited, we're going to break stuff after all," Toph punched her palm.

"I wish we didn't have to, but the people here are even more hard-headed than Toph. No offence," Sokka quipped.

"None taken, I really want to leave this place. Worst city in the world," Toph huffed.

"Two days," Aang mused. "I'm going to see Appa on the outside. If we're going to piss off a lot of people, we'd better have a great getaway plan. Joo Dee said he was over some place called Lake Lao Gai." The Airbender took a few steps back and glided out the window.

"I'll just sit here and uh, practice drawing." Sokka took out some paper he found downstairs.

"What are you drawing?" Katara looked over. Sokka's left handed scrawls resembled a vase with sharp designs and flowers on top.

"It looks nice," Katara patted her brother on the shoulder.

"_It_ is supposed to be Suki."

Katara struggled to contain her giggles, as a seemingly decent drawing of a vase turned out to be one of his girlfriend. He was not pleased at all but stared at the drawing like it was open space.

"Looks like her to me," Toph lay back on the floor.

"Thanks, I worked rally hard- hey, you're doing it again!"

Toph only grinned. She took out her father's journal and held her hand over it, reading the next chapter.

"Since when were you, of all people an avid reader?" Sokka put the drawing to one side.

"I'm bored, okay?" she thumbed over the embossed pages.

"I'll get the laundry," Katara tugged her big brother's arm, "this is the first time we've had clean clothes in a while."

"But my clothes are…" Sokka howled.

"_Come_ on, Sokka," he was dragged by the collar. "Toph wants to be alone," she whispered.


	8. Chapter 8: My Own Shop!

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"My own tea shop," Iroh jumped about like a man six times younger. "I can't believe it! He left me the whole thing!"

"Well uncle, he _does_ own the franchise…" Zuko looked at the framed certificate on the wall.

"Can I be the first customer?" Mitsu poked his head through the bead curtain that served as a doorway. No one stole in Ba Sing Se, so doors were really only for the wealthy and prestigious to show off rather than security.

"Well, I'm a bit out of tea leaves for my special blend," Iroh rubbed his chin. "I guess I have to go looking for them, that can't be too hard. Zuko, close up shop and take a walk, you need a clear mind to work for me, son!"

"Yes uncle," the former prince sighed heavily and lifted a chair onto a table. He tried lifting a chair that was wedged underneath Mitsu's staff, and as with others couldn't even budge it. "Could you move this thing please?" he nearly snarled.

"Sorry, it's becoming a reoccurring gag with people these days," Mitsu lifted the titanium rod from the chair.

"So what's your story, really?" Zuko turned the scarred side of his face to the stranger.

Mitsu sat on a table and looked ruefully at a bracelet that was on his right wrist. "I met your uncle five years ago, when a unit of his troops detached to try and find the Spirit Library. They failed and ended up at my library instead, at the Great Rock in the middle of the Song Yi desert. Your uncle put your cousin in command of that detachment."

"Why would Lu Tien lead something like that?" Zuko's ears perked up as he finished the last of the chairs.

"Your uncle wanted to save the world's knowledge before your grandfather obliterated it all. He therefore sent his own son and trusted men to find the Rock. Unfortunately some other troops followed them and tried to melt me and the other townsfolk into the ground. You know those two- Zhao and Chan."

"The two Admirals of the Fire Nation; Zhao is dead, I saw it myself."

"That's right. However, the Dai Li also found out and, against our wishes fought them to the death in an ambush. Only Lu Tien himself also survived the battle, but the town was ruined for sure. We held a meeting of all the hundred people left."

"Only a hundred?"

"We lived in the middle of a desert, what do you think the population should be?"

The two young men pulled down the "closed" tag on the shop and began strolling down Ba Sing Se's cobbled streets.

"What happened at the meeting?" Zuko was chirping up.

"We were discussing what to do next. The Dai Li had wrecked the town by literally Earthbending our houses onto the Fire Nation, who burnt everything else down. The people decided to join the Sand Tribes or come here to Ba Sing Se to fight. I was the only one to stay."

"And Lu Tien?"

"He was injured in the fight, he couldn't leave. I offered him the library as shelter and he took it," Mitsu sighed, looking at the bracelet. "He was everything I hadn't heard about the Fire Nation, noble, humble and eager to learn from other people."

"I didn't really know him that well, being as old as you," Zuko shook his head. "Uncle said that he was everything good from his father and mother. He should have been Crown Prince, if my grandfather hadn't chosen my father."

Mitsu put his hand round Zuko's shoulder. "We can't change the past, but your cousin was one for learning about it in great detail."

"Wait, the people left you and my cousin alone in the library?" Zuko shook off Mitsu's arm. "Why would they let you be alone in there?"

"Because of _this_," Mitsu opened his eyes a little wider, revealing their bright golden hue that made Zuko's amber pale by comparison. The prince stepped back, having not noticed them before.

"I know those eyes, the Fire Sages told me about them. Your kind is supposed to be _dead_!" Zuko was halfway between creating a fire burst or alternatively, running away to find Iroh. He couldn't move, as indecision gripped his mind.

"Lu Tien said the same thing to me. I showed him the library from top to bottom and he gobbled it up like a Badger Mole in a mountain. In return he gave me his mother's bracelet," Mitsu held up the green, jade encrusted gauntlet on his right arm. "Freely, I might add. It seemed like I had a best friend after all…until he died."

"My uncle said he died at Ba Sing Se," Zuko hardened his stance.

"He did die at Ba Sing Se. I personally sent him there…only to see him die. I tried returning the bracelet but your uncle would have none of it. All he asked me to do was to accompany him and your cousin's remains back to the Fire Nation ports. My presence seemed to be as a hostage so that Earth soldiers didn't come and attack his retreat."

"Why would they not attack you?"

"They're as afraid of these as you are," Mitsu looked Zuko straight in the eye. "But I mourned a friend there, someone who showed me that people can be good even if they are ruled by evil, and vice versa. For a long time, he was the only person that didn't look at me and tremble. That is real courage, something I don't see these days." He hung his head, a tear forming in his left eye as he looked away. "I really miss him, almost as much as your uncle. He was a brother to me in the short time we spent together, for me that was more than enough."

Zuko stood up straight, putting palm to hand and bowing. "I'm sorry I doubted you and my uncle's judgment. I don't know you that well, but my uncle seems happy seeing you, and for me, that is enough."

"He wanted to take me back to your country and adopt me, but I stepped off the boat," Mitsu stopped at a crossroads of four paved walkways. "My place was here, in the Earth Kingdom and the Great Rock. Today we're all here," he silently thought of Aang and the others.

"This isn't our place," Zuko went on one knee and sifted some of the loose dust from the island in the middle of the walkway junction.

"Ba Sing Se is a place for no one," a passerby stepped in from a nearby pathway, "and yet everyone lives here," the man and his large companion stopped in front of the two younger boys. His companion was tall and silent, wearing a veil over his or her face and looking a bit ungainly.

"We'll all find our place in life Lee," Mitsu switched to Zuko's pseudonym. "A wise man once said that our feet do not always follow our hearts but the opposite can be true. Your heart is with your uncle here, even if you think your feet are alone."

"Well said, young man," the stranger nodded in acknowledgement. "Come on, we have to get to our place as well," the man nudged his companion, who seemed to growl instead of groan. "See you around, I suppose." The man opened a parasol and disappeared down the road Mitsu and Zuko had taken.

"I hope your tea shop continues to be successful," Mitsu clasped Zuko's forearm. "It might seem crazy, but I hope you find a training ground soon, your hands are cold."

"I haven't Fire…" Zuko looked around, "I haven't used fire since we got on the ferry here. It's been weeks!"

"You are a Firebender, and you have one of the best teachers in the world in your uncle. I suggest you start there, if you want to find your own place."

Zuko thought to himself as he sat on a bench beside the four-way, Mitsu walking down the path taken by the strange man earlier.

"I know what I have to do…but at what cost? My father? My sister? My kingdom? Do I keep trying to catch the Avatar to please them both? Will anything change?" he spoke out loud to himself. The wind picked up his voice as well as his hair, making his musings sail through the morning air. The wind however brought him something else.

"Appa, stop the crazy flying! I'm going crazy here too, but calm down!"

Zuko sprang upwards, his eyes blasted wide open. It was the Avatar, here in Ba Sing Se! His heart beat faster and his mind raced through the possibilities. Would he run for Iroh and try to convince him to resume the Avatar catching mission? Would he try to hunt Aang for himself to redeem his honor? Might he convince Mitsu to join him? A small spark exploded out of his hand as he struggled to contain his excitement.

After some more thought, he turned back to the tea shop.

Meanwhile, Mitsu continued his walk down the cobbled street, running his hand through carefully trimmed hedges and listening to the sweet sound of birds in the air. Ba Sing Se was the greatest city in the world indeed, and one could find peace there if they forgot what was outside and focused on what was on the inside. It was easy enough with the Dai Li watching as well as the network of bureaucrats that supported them. Mitsu let his mind wander to more quiet times, to memories not his own, to departed friends and new acquaintances. The sweet air of the city combined with the beautiful architecture and the local finery was a comfort enjoyed by virtually no one outside the Fire Nation, which to other countries seemed harsh and garish, dominated by red hues and domineering citizens.

Mitsu knew, however that the city contained many people with sad memories, tragic events from the invasion etched in their eyes. There were some others who had seen even more, though they hid it behind faces of stone and cheer drawn from the better parts of their life. The Force Bender sat on the ground beside a large oak tree, where a scroll hung with someone's life story written on it. He took the second cup of tea on a mat sprawled on the ground and raised it to the old man sitting on the mat.

"You did all you could that day, old uncle."

"I can help many people, but I could not help my own son," Iroh's voice rumbled softly. He had previously stopped a would-be robber and given him advice with his life.

"Today would have been his birthday," Mitsu looked at the certificate, "you are celebrating it like he was alive."

"He is alive in my heart," Iroh sipped his tea. "Zuko has made that fire warm in me again."

"He is not Lu Tien. I haven't seen your nephew smile at all."

"He did not have me for a father. He had my brother, who never smiled either. Yet he is learning from us both. I consider him my own son no matter what he wants to do."

"Does he know about his great grandfather?" Mitsu held a red book from his belt.

"Not yet. I do not feel that it is the time for that revelation." Iroh finished his tea.

"Has he learned lightning, old uncle? I'm told he's quite the Fire Bender."

"I've tried to train him, but he refuses to even let me use it. He had better learn quickly, especially since his father can summon it at will, even faster than me."

Mitsu got up and bowed to the certificate honoring Lu Tien. It was Fire Nation custom to honor the fallen royalty; although Iroh's frugal style owed more to his innate humility rather than his deprived state of affairs.

"Show me one day, tired old uncle," Mitsu bowed to him. "I've had some interesting ideas these last few months."

Iroh opened his eyes and looked up, but his gaze was averted to the sight of Zuko streaking up the hill, as if the entire Fire Nation was after him.

"Uncle, the Avatar! He's here!" Zuko pointed to the horizon. "I saw him and his Sky Bison! We can catch him here and take him home!"

Iroh did not stir, pouring another cup of hot tea.

"Uncle…?" Zuko saw Mitsu turn his back and Iroh turn to his tea.

"I am not doing that nonsense again," Iroh rumbled between careful sips.

"But…"

"We're building a new life here in Ba Sing Se. We aren't going to waste our life chasing someone who won't hurt us," the old man got up to his full height, casting a shadow over his nephew that nearly equaled the tree beside him.

"I'm tired, Zuko. I've lost my entire family doing things to please others with no reward for myself. I'm staying with the tea shop." Iroh sounded unusually vulnerable. "Sit down, have some tea and bow to your deceased cousin."

Zuko bowed and tried to banish the sight of Aang and Appa from his mind. Whatever Aang was going to do now, Zuko couldn't do anything about it. Iroh was never really a stern man, but when he was even the most powerful generals cowed in fear of him. He resolved not to approach the matter any further and took his tea.

"So, when do we open up the shop?"

"Mitsu has left me a book on herbology he found wandering in the western Earth Kingdom. I'd better brush up on it, before I poison people other than myself!" Iroh was back to his cheerful self.

"Hey, where'd he go?" Zuko looked around and Mitsu was nowhere to be seen.

"Heretics are best left alone. Which reminds me, you are still carrying something I don't like," Iroh pointed to a small bulge in Zuko's tunic.

"I'll get rid of it, uncle. You're right; I have to get rid of this." Out came the Blue Spirit mask, its blue rimmed eyes and expressionless gaze looking deep into Zuko.

"Maybe you'll get a girlfriend here, too!"

"Hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves here!"


	9. Chapter 9: The Avatar and the Heretics

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Don't drop people like that!" Aang pointed to his longtime friend, who moaned and grunted, spitting the Earth Kingdom hat out with a disgusted look. He had landed on a sports field in a Ba Sing Se school's compound after being bored for days hovering over Lake Laogai in the eastern section of the outer wall. A noble creature he was, but even the best of creatures would be bored in such a confining area. Though there was no ceiling to limit him, Appa had seen rocks hurled in his direction by panicking Earthbender guards. It felt like a cage with no doors.

"Aang?" Mitsu flew close to the ground and landed softly near the Sky Bison.

"I've been looking for you as well!" the Avatar greeted his friend. "Listen, if we wait here for too long we'll never see the Earth King. Sokka proposed that we just bust in."

Mitsu wanted to tell Appa that Zuko and Iroh were also in town, but something stopped him. What would happen to the old man if the Earthbenders or worse, the Dai Li caught him? He seemed so happy just bending tea leaves instead of fire, plus he too was wanted by the Fire Nation. He bit the tip of his tongue and scratched Appa's large ears.

"Bust in? That sounds more Toph than Sokka."

"Appa is willing to carry us to the front wall. He doesn't like enclosed places, so we have to continue ourselves."

"Then it is the plan," Mitsu clasped forearms with Aang. "I want you to see something first, something only two other Avatars have seen here. Appa, can you fly to the others? Try not to snag washing lines or anything like that."

"It's OK, buddy. We're only going for a short while, "Aang hugged Appa and let him float out of sight.

"We're going to the Lake of Laogai shrine," Mitsu took off.

"A shrine to whom?" Aang opened his glider. Mitsu didn't respond as the two astonished people with their close-up flybys and urban flying, ultimately landing on the shores of the lake. A small mound with a door was nearby, although there seemed to be no key or handle to open it with. Some burn marks were seen together with cracks and signs of decay, but none seemed like they cracked the large black mound.

"This is a shrine to people of my kind, Avatar," Mitsu touched the stone with both hands and began heaving it upwards.

"Let me help you," Aang tried to Earthbend the stone, which only made it heavier. Mitsu dropped it, nearly hitting his toes.

"Don't use Earthbending on this, Aang! It's a _secret_ door in the Earth Kingdom capital; after all….there's a safety measure that prevents Earthbenders of all people from opening this. Can you read these characters?" Mitsu pointed to the inscription on the side.

"Sealed by the Path of The Lode," Aang traced the line.

"If you want to help, air bend the sweat off my forehead and Water Bend my hands afterwards."

Mitsu heaved again and the stone slowly rumbled forward, smoothly sliding out of its square slot. Aang could feel the Force Bending tugging with all its might, even making ripples in the lake. The stone finally came out with one final heave from Mitsu, who dropped the obsidian block on the ground and fell onto his back.

"Damn, that was really heavy," Mitsu appreciated to cooling wind Aang brought.

"What is this block?" Aang found he couldn't even budge it with Earthbending.

"It's a magnetized block of steel that fell from the sky," Mitsu got up. "There is another block on the other side that it is incredibly attracted to. Come on, let's go in but Earthbend the entrance shut so no one sees.'

Aang did just that, seeing crystals vibrate and create light as soon as he bent the earth. The corridor was narrow but well lit, and it resembled Mitsu's library in many ways. The one stairway continued all the way down until the crystals lit up an entire circular hallway at the bottom, where a pool of water seemingly glowed, still as a windless day.

Aang heard the lodestone on the other side slam behind them, cutting off all the air from the outside. It seemed like he couldn't breathe but he carried on nonetheless, Mitsu trudging ahead of him. Something was pushing down hard on them both, as if the Earth itself wanted to crush them.

"Don't mind the crushing feeling, don't fight it either," Mitsu struggled to even stand as they proceeded down the hallway's end.

"I can't do anything else, can I?" Aang was using his glider as support.

The hallway's end made Aang spring up the Avatar fell straight on his back. The pool water seemed to move towards him, like a giant-

"Compass!" the Airbender looked at it and then stood aside. "I can feel it in the earth, this pool is a mystical compass!"

"You have great insight, Avatar," Mitsu clapped his hands. "This is a temple built in the time of Kuruk, before the Earth King built up Ba Sing Se. Between Kuruk and Kyoshi there was a massive disturbance in the cosmic balance that delayed her birth. I trust you've met Avatar Kuruk?"

"Not yet, at least I haven't spoken to him," Aang sat cross legged, looking in awe at the pool which seemed to call to him.

"Avatar Kuruk was the last Water Bender to be an Avatar, but I will not tell you his full story as you are him reincarnated. I will tell you _this_, Aang that he did not die in peace and his spirit did not fully pass on. That is why Kyoshi lived for over two hundred years, when Kuruk finally found peace in the Spirit World." Mitsu sat on a mat opposite Aang's side of the pool and began levitating.

"It wasn't very long between Kuruk and Kyoshi, although she never told me about the delay," Aang felt his essence sinking into the Earth. He wanted to leave, but none of his nerves were obeying him. He did not feel trapped, but did not feel free.

"In the short space of time, five benders came from across the world to look for the new Avatar who was born on the Kyoshi Island of today."

Aang closed his eyes almost by instinct, feeling like he was floating away into nothingness. He felt the tingle of the Avatar State coming on, though he was surprised as he was not angry or upset. His ears picked up faint vibrations and confused voices which when he reopened his eyes all coalesced into a clear image of three men and two women, each dressed in the manner of their home nation. Mitsu appeared next to him, though Aang noticed that the sun in this vision cast no shadow on either of them.

"Behold, the Path of the Lode," Mitsu pointed his staff at the five. "Zhan Ming of the Fire Nation, proud but rebellious, Heretic of the Fire Nation," the woman looked in Aang's direction and her eyes were glowing golden but with a decidedly red hue. To Aang's astonishment she made a circle of lightning and posed for a fighting stance in it. The white, crackling light was like nothing he had seen before, even in the darkest of storms.

"Chao Dong, Heretic of the Northern Water Tribe," a slender looking man twirled onto a post, weaving a piece of cloth around his waist that was seemingly infinite, but frozen over his head like stone, then supple as cloth was meant to be.

"Kari Tsung, Heretic of the Air Nomads," Aang saw a breathtaking woman, unshaven in the front of her head (unusual for Airbender society), slide up a wall and seemingly glide past the other two and for an instant, pulled the air apart and ripped a hole in a wall.

"Isn't that what I saw in your library?" Aang pointed at the vision's Airbender.

"The very same, Kari Omoto would be the greater master of that technique but his ancestor invented it. Now watch this guy, Long Jin, the Heretic of the Earth Kingdom."

"Watch who?" Aang didn't see anyone, although the three Heretics turned to someone and seemed to be talking to them. A shunt of light formed as a piece of glass fell to the floor, revealing a green robed man behind it.

"How did he do that?"

"Long Jin was a master of transmuting earth into glass, into mirrors and such. As it turns out the Earthbending Masters eventually found a 'legal' way to do that, but hey could only ever use sand and in better days, with a Firebender to help them. You would have to be 100 years old just to be able to Earthbend the sand into glass once, without fire or Long Jin's secret technique."

"He's late again," Zhan played with some of her trademark white fire. Aang heard her speak but felt the words go through him rather than go to him, like he was a ghost.

"He's no Airbender, that's for sure," Kari blew Zhan's fire out, much to her annoyance.

"Southerners are too laid back sometimes," Chao's blue robe puffed out like a fan.

"He's trying that ridiculous method of transport again," Long Jin crossed his arms and used Earthbending to make a stool.

"We're here for one reason, and that's to make sure the Avatar Cycle was not disrupted. We're the only five of our kind left, and the world is not as safe as it should be." Chao let a cloth map out of his pocket, bending it stiff. "He should be somewhere over the Air Temple of the East by now…"

"Look out!" Zhan pushed Chao out of the way as a person crashed to the ground where he was sitting, Chan's extra cloth saving him from turning the last five Heretics into the last four. Chao and Zhan were in no hurry to get up off each other; Aang saw that they were smiling intently, looking into each other's eyes.

"I told you not to fly using clouds," Long Jin crossed his arms again, Earthbending the dropper out of the ground. "Water can hardly hold up anything in the sky, why do you think rain falls?"

"Down South, Master Mara has mastered the art of stopping rain," the man got up and dusted himself down.

"Maki, Heretic of the Southern Water Tribe," Mitsu nodded. "The Southern Water Tribe actually let him live among them, unlike the other nations who at this time forced them into hiding or exile."

"Let's find that girl then," Long Jin formed a glass bridge to a nearby inlet. "While we're young."

Aang felt the air buzz and spiral, as if he had eaten some of Sokka's cactus juice.

"They did find Kyoshi and helped her train, although they left her proper instruction to her masters," Aang saw a montage similar to Roku' s and even giggled slightly as an Airbender nun scolded the tall woman for blowing cake into her face. Aang also saw the five each testing Kyoshi in their own way. He saw Zhan force Kyoshi to learn lightning redirection and generation, fighting on a deserted ship in the middle of the ocean that bobbed with the dangerous current. Kyoshi was next seen dodging sharpened cloth and water blasts from Chao using Airbending and counter attacking with Earthbending, only to end up wrapped tight as a mummy.

"How does he do that, with the cloth?"

"There is water in cotton and most other fabrics," Mitsu pulled at his own shirt.

"That doesn't sound so wrong to me," Aang looked at his sleeve. "It's pretty neat, I think."

"Fear drives people to unnecessary measures, like exiling someone" Mitsu turned to Chao, who was seen next deeply kissing Zhan somewhere in the Fire Nation. "Love drives people to do what they need. Neither of those two were Heretics because of their native bending, but because of choices they made. Remember, I told you about being attuned to what you are closest to?"

"Yes?"

"The Avatar is part of the world's spirit itself and is attuned to all the elements. To complete your training, you must learn all as Kyoshi did, "Mitsu got up and the vision became blurry again. "Yet people can become attuned to each other as well."

The vision eventually switched to something Aang recognized as Kyoshi Island, though it looked much less orderly and there were cries of anguish all over the place.

"This is when she separated the island from the mainland Earth Kingdom!" Aang's arrow glowed bright as he spotted his predecessor in her full Avatar state, her glowing eyes contrasting with her Kyoshi make-up. The Five Heretics surrounded her, each levitating according to their native element. Chao notably stood on a cloud as Maki did, both seemingly having perfected the technique. Zhan had two fire-based wings and seemed the most upset at Kyoshi while Kari levitated on a single stone and Long Jin sent a column all the way up to the Avatar.

"Did it have to be this way, Kyoshi?" Long Jin, now considerably older stood on his platform.

"Chan was going to kill all the people on that new island," Kyoshi spoke with several voices that made a lump in Aang's throat.

"And you've sunk the only path people had for trade, family and education."

"What would you have me do, glass bender? Send him to that idiot Earth King, who would listen to him and not me? We are but peasants to him, you will see."

"There were houses down there! Maybe with people in them! " Chao and Maki came closer to Kyoshi.

"I made sure none of the islanders were on the peninsula!"

"The _islanders_? The people of the town on the other side don't think so. Look at all the widows and mothers on the shore. That place was their sons' and husbands' fishing hole. Now it is their tomb."

"I've had enough of this," Zhan held out her open palm to the Avatar. "You are forbidden from using your powers in anger of this magnitude, and for that you must be punished."

"I did nothing wrong!" the Avatar's glow grew brighter as the four elements rallied around her.

"Denial only makes a crime stronger. Creating the Dai Li doesn't help the Earth Kingdom at all, it will rot from the center," Long Jin transmuted his platform into metal. "The King will become the slave of his own government."

"Stop, all of you! I am the Avatar and I will not be countered!" Kyoshi sent a bolt of lightning near Maki, who (to Aang's astonishment) hovered upwards and absorbed the blast, making his cloud darker and more turbulent.

"The next Avatar should be gentler than you and more caring towards the earth and the people in it. Avatar Kyoshi, we declare your time over," Maki took a rooted stance as did the others.

"What are you doing?" Kyoshi tried to counterattack but her elements seemed to desert her as she felt a void in her mind open.

"Mitsu, what is happening?" Aang tried in vain to reach his predecessor, only to grasp at phantoms. A circle of lightning formed around Kyoshi, seemingly sucking the air out of the area within it.

"The very core of bending is that of seven chakras that crisscross the body," Mitsu's own body lit up against the elemental chaos in front of them. "They are sealing all seven of her chakras."

"What?" Aang felt himself tremble, as those memories were also his own.

Kyoshi screamed as the five pulled fire, earth, water and air out of her until her eyes returned to their original colour. The elements wheeled around their wielders before disappearing into the four directions. The Avatar felt her nerves pinch in several areas as she blacked out, held up only by an Earth platform courtesy of Long Jin. Where was once a proud master of the four elements was now an ordinary, albeit tall woman with big feet.

"She will live long, and in time her powers will return to her along with, I hope a better sense of responsibility," Kari hovered close to the prone Kyoshi.

"The new Avatar will be found in the Fire Nation, long after this day. The elements will find him, but the path of the Lode will not." Long Jin held out a compass that pointed to Kyoshi, as did the others. "We who follow the path are few now, and I do not know if any more will be born after Kari's children. I am old, I will not see the new Fire Nation Avatar. It seems the Great Rock will be my final home, as it was yours when we were all younger."

"I liked Kyoshi," Maki got onto her platform and lifted her up.

"Don't lie, Maki," Chao put his hand on his tribesman's shoulder. "We all know. You _loved_ her. You always have. When she wakes up…"

"She will be bitter, but then again she will no longer have the burden. I just wish I was a bit younger!" the others except for Zhan laughed. "I have a feeling she might outlive me by a lot of years."

"You're leaving the order as well?" she looked at Chao, who looked at her back.

"Someone has to raise our children, Zhan. We've already seen too little of their lives."

The Firebender settled into her husband's arms, "You're right, it's time to be ourselves again."

"The next Avatar will have to fend for himself, I guess." Kari landed beside Long Jin. "There will be no compass to guide him other than his masters, who will all be of different mind, I think."

"We are the Path of the Lode, should there be any more after us they will find us at the rock where we all gathered once upon a time after receiving the mark at 12." Long Jin pointed to his golden eye. "Go home to Omoto, Tsung Wing. He is in his teens now, and your poor husband cannot raise him alone!"

Kari chuckled but also had tears in her eyes. She reminded Aang of the nuns of his time now, with a shaven front head and arrow mark. A black-furred Sky Bison appeared on the horizon and quickly took her mistress onboard. A white Bison similar to Appa also pulled up beside it.

"So this is it?" Maki felt Kyoshi stir.

"Not the great end, I suppose," Long Jin held his arms out to the others. "But the Avatars will always need friends from all places, no matter what happens. What we did today, we did because Kyoshi was a friend in need of correction, or in Maki's case, the love of his life."

"We will still see each other, I hope," Chao cloth bended his cape around Zhan.

"At our age, I somewhat doubt that will be often," his wife leaned on his chest. "But we will try."

"Fare well then, Path of the Lode," Long Jin's platform descended out of sight.

"Goodbye, may the air be sweet and comforting for you," Kari hugged the water tribesmen and Zhan as they boarded the white Sky Bison.

Aang opened his eyes again, now in the chamber with the still pool and Mitsu standing still as a statue on the other side.

"I am the heir of the Lode, though I dreaded this time when I was alone," Mitsu spoke to the pool. "Yet I am not alone, and the Avatar has faithful friends who can teach or punish him." Mitsu got down and prostrated towards the pool. Aang got up and prepared to bow when the water swirled up into a spout and formed a face on both sides.

"The very center of the Earth is lode, young Mitsu," a voice sounded in the thick air of the catacomb. "You are new but not the last. Young Avatar, you face a world in great peril. I wish you were not so young, but I sense the courage of a man many times older."

"You're from the Spirit Oasis up north!" Aang recognized the voice.

"I am a true Spirit Oasis, as this place was once barren rock and desert sand. I have provided shelter and guidance for the Lode for centuries upon centuries. Look in the pool, young Avatar, there is someone you should know of that you must seek immediately. He has helped you before, though from afar. His name is Pathik and he dwells where the Eastern Air Temple stood."

Aang's heart sank, as that was the one temple he had not visited yet and he had hoped for some sign of his people there.

"Do not be sad, young Avatar. I know of little that can comfort you at this time except for your memories and your friends, but you must persevere. Kyoshi became addled in her old age and lost hope for people while Kuruk was proud but arrogant. You must be better than them if you are to give the world hope. Pathik will help you, as he knows more of spirituality than any bender that walks the earth today."

"What about Roku? You didn't mention him."

"Roku was the ideal Avatar, as many Firebender Avatars tend to be. Yet he loved his friend Sozin too much to punish him sufficiently. He was taken from us too early, but in the end it gifted us you. I consider you to be a continuation of him and all the others, as you already know. Now Mitsu…"

Mitsu got up and bowed to the spirit water, holding out his hand.

"Continue what your own predecessors have done, and help his friends guide him to his destiny. Both of you take one drop from this pool and you will be ready for what comes next. Goodbye my young Avatar, may we meet when you have fulfilled all that you must and found what you have sought. The Spirits are with you always, as you are kin to us."

A singular drop fell onto both of their hands and the world went blank. A moment later Aang felt the soft grass of Lake Laogai' s shores underneath him, with Appa's unmistakable tongue lapping on his face. Mitsu was sprawled beside him, totally still with his eyes wide open. Aang had no idea how he or Mitsu got there, and the lake would not tell him.

"Oh, the Earth King!" Aang sprang to his feet.

"The Earth King can wait. You have to see the Guru first, and quickly. See the others first before you go, but you have to leave _now_."

"You're not coming with us? But what the Spirit said…"

"A guide simply tells you where to go; it is not necessary to go with you."

Aang nodded and boarded the Sky Bison, zipping away as fast as Appa could go. Mitsu sighed and remembered the secret words of the Spirit in his head.

_Should he err, take his power and save the world_.

"He won't make that mistake, I swear. The kid's got too much goodness in him and people who love him," Mitsu seemed to speak to no one in particular and got up. Surprisingly, Zuko and Iroh came up the hill on the other side of the lake, with a mask in the young prince's hand.

"I'm done with this," Zuko tossed the Blue Spirit mask into the lake, watching it sink slowly to the depths.

"That's good, Zuko. Now we have to get back to the shop," Iroh put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I have a super blend I've been trying to perfect, and I need a few test subjects."

Mitsu took a blade of grass and nestled it between his teeth. "He's not the only one, either."


	10. Chapter 10: An Interlude

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Don't drop people like that!" Aang pointed to his longtime friend, who moaned and grunted, spitting the Earth Kingdom hat out with a disgusted look. He had landed on a sports field in a Ba Sing Se school's compound after being bored for days hovering over Lake Laogai in the eastern section of the outer wall. A noble creature he was, but even the best of creatures would be bored in such a confining area. Though there was no ceiling to limit him, Appa had seen rocks hurled in his direction by panicking Earthbender guards. It felt like a cage with no doors.

"Aang?" Mitsu flew close to the ground and landed softly near the Sky Bison.

"I've been looking for you as well!" the Avatar greeted his friend. "Listen, if we wait here for too long we'll never see the Earth King. Sokka proposed that we just bust in."

Mitsu wanted to tell Appa that Zuko and Iroh were also in town, but something stopped him. What would happen to the old man if the Earthbenders or worse, the Dai Li caught him? He seemed so happy just bending tea leaves instead of fire, plus he too was wanted by the Fire Nation. He bit the tip of his tongue and scratched Appa's large ears.

"Bust in? That sounds more Toph than Sokka."

"Appa is willing to carry us to the front wall. He doesn't like enclosed places, so we have to continue ourselves."

"Then it is the plan," Mitsu clasped forearms with Aang. "I want you to see something first, something only two other Avatars have seen here. Appa, can you fly to the others? Try not to snag washing lines or anything like that."

"It's OK, buddy. We're only going for a short while, "Aang hugged Appa and let him float out of sight.

"We're going to the Lake of Laogai shrine," Mitsu took off.

"A shrine to whom?" Aang opened his glider. Mitsu didn't respond as the two astonished people with their close-up flybys and urban flying, ultimately landing on the shores of the lake. A small mound with a door was nearby, although there seemed to be no key or handle to open it with. Some burn marks were seen together with cracks and signs of decay, but none seemed like they cracked the large black mound.

"This is a shrine to people of my kind, Avatar," Mitsu touched the stone with both hands and began heaving it upwards.

"Let me help you," Aang tried to Earthbend the stone, which only made it heavier. Mitsu dropped it, nearly hitting his toes.

"Don't use Earthbending on this, Aang! It's a _secret_ door in the Earth Kingdom capital; after all….there's a safety measure that prevents Earthbenders of all people from opening this. Can you read these characters?" Mitsu pointed to the inscription on the side.

"Sealed by the Path of The Lode," Aang traced the line.

"If you want to help, air bend the sweat off my forehead and Water Bend my hands afterwards."

Mitsu heaved again and the stone slowly rumbled forward, smoothly sliding out of its square slot. Aang could feel the Force Bending tugging with all its might, even making ripples in the lake. The stone finally came out with one final heave from Mitsu, who dropped the obsidian block on the ground and fell onto his back.

"Damn, that was really heavy," Mitsu appreciated to cooling wind Aang brought.

"What is this block?" Aang found he couldn't even budge it with Earthbending.

"It's a magnetized block of steel that fell from the sky," Mitsu got up. "There is another block on the other side that it is incredibly attracted to. Come on, let's go in but Earthbend the entrance shut so no one sees.'

Aang did just that, seeing crystals vibrate and create light as soon as he bent the earth. The corridor was narrow but well lit, and it resembled Mitsu's library in many ways. The one stairway continued all the way down until the crystals lit up an entire circular hallway at the bottom, where a pool of water seemingly glowed, still as a windless day.

Aang heard the lodestone on the other side slam behind them, cutting off all the air from the outside. It seemed like he couldn't breathe but he carried on nonetheless, Mitsu trudging ahead of him. Something was pushing down hard on them both, as if the Earth itself wanted to crush them.

"Don't mind the crushing feeling, don't fight it either," Mitsu struggled to even stand as they proceeded down the hallway's end.

"I can't do anything else, can I?" Aang was using his glider as support.

The hallway's end made Aang spring up the Avatar fell straight on his back. The pool water seemed to move towards him, like a giant-

"Compass!" the Airbender looked at it and then stood aside. "I can feel it in the earth, this pool is a mystical compass!"

"You have great insight, Avatar," Mitsu clapped his hands. "This is a temple built in the time of Kuruk, before the Earth King built up Ba Sing Se. Between Kuruk and Kyoshi there was a massive disturbance in the cosmic balance that delayed her birth. I trust you've met Avatar Kuruk?"

"Not yet, at least I haven't spoken to him," Aang sat cross legged, looking in awe at the pool which seemed to call to him.

"Avatar Kuruk was the last Water Bender to be an Avatar, but I will not tell you his full story as you are him reincarnated. I will tell you _this_, Aang that he did not die in peace and his spirit did not fully pass on. That is why Kyoshi lived for over two hundred years, when Kuruk finally found peace in the Spirit World." Mitsu sat on a mat opposite Aang's side of the pool and began levitating.

"It wasn't very long between Kuruk and Kyoshi, although she never told me about the delay," Aang felt his essence sinking into the Earth. He wanted to leave, but none of his nerves were obeying him. He did not feel trapped, but did not feel free.

"In the short space of time, five benders came from across the world to look for the new Avatar who was born on the Kyoshi Island of today."

Aang closed his eyes almost by instinct, feeling like he was floating away into nothingness. He felt the tingle of the Avatar State coming on, though he was surprised as he was not angry or upset. His ears picked up faint vibrations and confused voices which when he reopened his eyes all coalesced into a clear image of three men and two women, each dressed in the manner of their home nation. Mitsu appeared next to him, though Aang noticed that the sun in this vision cast no shadow on either of them.

"Behold, the Path of the Lode," Mitsu pointed his staff at the five. "Zhan Ming of the Fire Nation, proud but rebellious, Heretic of the Fire Nation," the woman looked in Aang's direction and her eyes were glowing golden but with a decidedly red hue. To Aang's astonishment she made a circle of lightning and posed for a fighting stance in it. The white, crackling light was like nothing he had seen before, even in the darkest of storms.

"Chao Dong, Heretic of the Northern Water Tribe," a slender looking man twirled onto a post, weaving a piece of cloth around his waist that was seemingly infinite, but frozen over his head like stone, then supple as cloth was meant to be.

"Kari Tsung, Heretic of the Air Nomads," Aang saw a breathtaking woman, unshaven in the front of her head (unusual for Airbender society), slide up a wall and seemingly glide past the other two and for an instant, pulled the air apart and ripped a hole in a wall.

"Isn't that what I saw in your library?" Aang pointed at the vision's Airbender.

"The very same, Kari Omoto would be the greater master of that technique but his ancestor invented it. Now watch this guy, Long Jin, the Heretic of the Earth Kingdom."

"Watch who?" Aang didn't see anyone, although the three Heretics turned to someone and seemed to be talking to them. A shunt of light formed as a piece of glass fell to the floor, revealing a green robed man behind it.

"How did he do that?"

"Long Jin was a master of transmuting earth into glass, into mirrors and such. As it turns out the Earthbending Masters eventually found a 'legal' way to do that, but hey could only ever use sand and in better days, with a Firebender to help them. You would have to be 100 years old just to be able to Earthbend the sand into glass once, without fire or Long Jin's secret technique."

"He's late again," Zhan played with some of her trademark white fire. Aang heard her speak but felt the words go through him rather than go to him, like he was a ghost.

"He's no Airbender, that's for sure," Kari blew Zhan's fire out, much to her annoyance.

"Southerners are too laid back sometimes," Chao's blue robe puffed out like a fan.

"He's trying that ridiculous method of transport again," Long Jin crossed his arms and used Earthbending to make a stool.

"We're here for one reason, and that's to make sure the Avatar Cycle was not disrupted. We're the only five of our kind left, and the world is not as safe as it should be." Chao let a cloth map out of his pocket, bending it stiff. "He should be somewhere over the Air Temple of the East by now…"

"Look out!" Zhan pushed Chao out of the way as a person crashed to the ground where he was sitting, Chan's extra cloth saving him from turning the last five Heretics into the last four. Chao and Zhan were in no hurry to get up off each other; Aang saw that they were smiling intently, looking into each other's eyes.

"I told you not to fly using clouds," Long Jin crossed his arms again, Earthbending the dropper out of the ground. "Water can hardly hold up anything in the sky, why do you think rain falls?"

"Down South, Master Mara has mastered the art of stopping rain," the man got up and dusted himself down.

"Maki, Heretic of the Southern Water Tribe," Mitsu nodded. "The Southern Water Tribe actually let him live among them, unlike the other nations who at this time forced them into hiding or exile."

"Let's find that girl then," Long Jin formed a glass bridge to a nearby inlet. "While we're young."

Aang felt the air buzz and spiral, as if he had eaten some of Sokka's cactus juice.

"They did find Kyoshi and helped her train, although they left her proper instruction to her masters," Aang saw a montage similar to Roku' s and even giggled slightly as an Airbender nun scolded the tall woman for blowing cake into her face. Aang also saw the five each testing Kyoshi in their own way. He saw Zhan force Kyoshi to learn lightning redirection and generation, fighting on a deserted ship in the middle of the ocean that bobbed with the dangerous current. Kyoshi was next seen dodging sharpened cloth and water blasts from Chao using Airbending and counter attacking with Earthbending, only to end up wrapped tight as a mummy.

"How does he do that, with the cloth?"

"There is water in cotton and most other fabrics," Mitsu pulled at his own shirt.

"That doesn't sound so wrong to me," Aang looked at his sleeve. "It's pretty neat, I think."

"Fear drives people to unnecessary measures, like exiling someone" Mitsu turned to Chao, who was seen next deeply kissing Zhan somewhere in the Fire Nation. "Love drives people to do what they need. Neither of those two were Heretics because of their native bending, but because of choices they made. Remember, I told you about being attuned to what you are closest to?"

"Yes?"

"The Avatar is part of the world's spirit itself and is attuned to all the elements. To complete your training, you must learn all as Kyoshi did, "Mitsu got up and the vision became blurry again. "Yet people can become attuned to each other as well."

The vision eventually switched to something Aang recognized as Kyoshi Island, though it looked much less orderly and there were cries of anguish all over the place.

"This is when she separated the island from the mainland Earth Kingdom!" Aang's arrow glowed bright as he spotted his predecessor in her full Avatar state, her glowing eyes contrasting with her Kyoshi make-up. The Five Heretics surrounded her, each levitating according to their native element. Chao notably stood on a cloud as Maki did, both seemingly having perfected the technique. Zhan had two fire-based wings and seemed the most upset at Kyoshi while Kari levitated on a single stone and Long Jin sent a column all the way up to the Avatar.

"Did it have to be this way, Kyoshi?" Long Jin, now considerably older stood on his platform.

"Chan was going to kill all the people on that new island," Kyoshi spoke with several voices that made a lump in Aang's throat.

"And you've sunk the only path people had for trade, family and education."

"What would you have me do, glass bender? Send him to that idiot Earth King, who would listen to him and not me? We are but peasants to him, you will see."

"There were houses down there! Maybe with people in them! " Chao and Maki came closer to Kyoshi.

"I made sure none of the islanders were on the peninsula!"

"The _islanders_? The people of the town on the other side don't think so. Look at all the widows and mothers on the shore. That place was their sons' and husbands' fishing hole. Now it is their tomb."

"I've had enough of this," Zhan held out her open palm to the Avatar. "You are forbidden from using your powers in anger of this magnitude, and for that you must be punished."

"I did nothing wrong!" the Avatar's glow grew brighter as the four elements rallied around her.

"Denial only makes a crime stronger. Creating the Dai Li doesn't help the Earth Kingdom at all, it will rot from the center," Long Jin transmuted his platform into metal. "The King will become the slave of his own government."

"Stop, all of you! I am the Avatar and I will not be countered!" Kyoshi sent a bolt of lightning near Maki, who (to Aang's astonishment) hovered upwards and absorbed the blast, making his cloud darker and more turbulent.

"The next Avatar should be gentler than you and more caring towards the earth and the people in it. Avatar Kyoshi, we declare your time over," Maki took a rooted stance as did the others.

"What are you doing?" Kyoshi tried to counterattack but her elements seemed to desert her as she felt a void in her mind open.

"Mitsu, what is happening?" Aang tried in vain to reach his predecessor, only to grasp at phantoms. A circle of lightning formed around Kyoshi, seemingly sucking the air out of the area within it.

"The very core of bending is that of seven chakras that crisscross the body," Mitsu's own body lit up against the elemental chaos in front of them. "They are sealing all seven of her chakras."

"What?" Aang felt himself tremble, as those memories were also his own.

Kyoshi screamed as the five pulled fire, earth, water and air out of her until her eyes returned to their original colour. The elements wheeled around their wielders before disappearing into the four directions. The Avatar felt her nerves pinch in several areas as she blacked out, held up only by an Earth platform courtesy of Long Jin. Where was once a proud master of the four elements was now an ordinary, albeit tall woman with big feet.

"She will live long, and in time her powers will return to her along with, I hope a better sense of responsibility," Kari hovered close to the prone Kyoshi.

"The new Avatar will be found in the Fire Nation, long after this day. The elements will find him, but the path of the Lode will not." Long Jin held out a compass that pointed to Kyoshi, as did the others. "We who follow the path are few now, and I do not know if any more will be born after Kari's children. I am old, I will not see the new Fire Nation Avatar. It seems the Great Rock will be my final home, as it was yours when we were all younger."

"I liked Kyoshi," Maki got onto her platform and lifted her up.

"Don't lie, Maki," Chao put his hand on his tribesman's shoulder. "We all know. You _loved_ her. You always have. When she wakes up…"

"She will be bitter, but then again she will no longer have the burden. I just wish I was a bit younger!" the others except for Zhan laughed. "I have a feeling she might outlive me by a lot of years."

"You're leaving the order as well?" she looked at Chao, who looked at her back.

"Someone has to raise our children, Zhan. We've already seen too little of their lives."

The Firebender settled into her husband's arms, "You're right, it's time to be ourselves again."

"The next Avatar will have to fend for himself, I guess." Kari landed beside Long Jin. "There will be no compass to guide him other than his masters, who will all be of different mind, I think."

"We are the Path of the Lode, should there be any more after us they will find us at the rock where we all gathered once upon a time after receiving the mark at 12." Long Jin pointed to his golden eye. "Go home to Omoto, Tsung Wing. He is in his teens now, and your poor husband cannot raise him alone!"

Kari chuckled but also had tears in her eyes. She reminded Aang of the nuns of his time now, with a shaven front head and arrow mark. A black-furred Sky Bison appeared on the horizon and quickly took her mistress onboard. A white Bison similar to Appa also pulled up beside it.

"So this is it?" Maki felt Kyoshi stir.

"Not the great end, I suppose," Long Jin held his arms out to the others. "But the Avatars will always need friends from all places, no matter what happens. What we did today, we did because Kyoshi was a friend in need of correction, or in Maki's case, the love of his life."

"We will still see each other, I hope," Chao cloth bended his cape around Zhan.

"At our age, I somewhat doubt that will be often," his wife leaned on his chest. "But we will try."

"Fare well then, Path of the Lode," Long Jin's platform descended out of sight.

"Goodbye, may the air be sweet and comforting for you," Kari hugged the water tribesmen and Zhan as they boarded the white Sky Bison.

Aang opened his eyes again, now in the chamber with the still pool and Mitsu standing still as a statue on the other side.

"I am the heir of the Lode, though I dreaded this time when I was alone," Mitsu spoke to the pool. "Yet I am not alone, and the Avatar has faithful friends who can teach or punish him." Mitsu got down and prostrated towards the pool. Aang got up and prepared to bow when the water swirled up into a spout and formed a face on both sides.

"The very center of the Earth is lode, young Mitsu," a voice sounded in the thick air of the catacomb. "You are new but not the last. Young Avatar, you face a world in great peril. I wish you were not so young, but I sense the courage of a man many times older."

"You're from the Spirit Oasis up north!" Aang recognized the voice.

"I am a true Spirit Oasis, as this place was once barren rock and desert sand. I have provided shelter and guidance for the Lode for centuries upon centuries. Look in the pool, young Avatar, there is someone you should know of that you must seek immediately. He has helped you before, though from afar. His name is Pathik and he dwells where the Eastern Air Temple stood."

Aang's heart sank, as that was the one temple he had not visited yet and he had hoped for some sign of his people there.

"Do not be sad, young Avatar. I know of little that can comfort you at this time except for your memories and your friends, but you must persevere. Kyoshi became addled in her old age and lost hope for people while Kuruk was proud but arrogant. You must be better than them if you are to give the world hope. Pathik will help you, as he knows more of spirituality than any bender that walks the earth today."

"What about Roku? You didn't mention him."

"Roku was the ideal Avatar, as many Firebender Avatars tend to be. Yet he loved his friend Sozin too much to punish him sufficiently. He was taken from us too early, but in the end it gifted us you. I consider you to be a continuation of him and all the others, as you already know. Now Mitsu…"

Mitsu got up and bowed to the spirit water, holding out his hand.

"Continue what your own predecessors have done, and help his friends guide him to his destiny. Both of you take one drop from this pool and you will be ready for what comes next. Goodbye my young Avatar, may we meet when you have fulfilled all that you must and found what you have sought. The Spirits are with you always, as you are kin to us."

A singular drop fell onto both of their hands and the world went blank. A moment later Aang felt the soft grass of Lake Laogai' s shores underneath him, with Appa's unmistakable tongue lapping on his face. Mitsu was sprawled beside him, totally still with his eyes wide open. Aang had no idea how he or Mitsu got there, and the lake would not tell him.

"Oh, the Earth King!" Aang sprang to his feet.

"The Earth King can wait. You have to see the Guru first, and quickly. See the others first before you go, but you have to leave _now_."

"You're not coming with us? But what the Spirit said…"

"A guide simply tells you where to go; it is not necessary to go with you."

Aang nodded and boarded the Sky Bison, zipping away as fast as Appa could go. Mitsu sighed and remembered the secret words of the Spirit in his head.

_Should he err, take his power and save the world_.

"He won't make that mistake, I swear. The kid's got too much goodness in him and people who love him," Mitsu seemed to speak to no one in particular and got up. Surprisingly, Zuko and Iroh came up the hill on the other side of the lake, with a mask in the young prince's hand.

"I'm done with this," Zuko tossed the Blue Spirit mask into the lake, watching it sink slowly to the depths.

"That's good, Zuko. Now we have to get back to the shop," Iroh put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I have a super blend I've been trying to perfect, and I need a few test subjects."

Mitsu took a blade of grass and nestled it between his teeth. "He's not the only one, either."


	11. Chapter 11 : The Stairs Of Confusion

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Here…we…go!!" Toph rode a wave of earth up the steps to the first great door of the Earth Palace. Behind her was Appa, who carried a whooping Sokka and his sister. The guards at the door were normally non-Benders, and proved it by diving for cover at the first sight of Toph's massive earth wave. The gates plowed open with a fierce thud, only to lead to another, larger gate of stone.

"One more?" Toph increased the size of her wave. This time, there were Earthbenders at the gate, hurling rounded boulders at her. "This is for swatting my family seal aside when we asked nicely!" The rocks fell apart easily at her touch, just as their guards did. "Come on, Mitsu!"

Mitsu flew through the opening and past Toph, pointing his fingers at the next gate. Some clicking could be heard and the door swung open, leaving a stunned Toph to hurl through the sudden opening and forcing Appa to dive down steeply to catch her.

"There's an easier way," Mitsu grinned as Dai Li rushed around the group and fired off earth gloves and massive columns of rock. Katara dismounted Aang and drew water from a moat, riding the resulting wave right into the people guarding the remaining door. In a display of power she filtered the water through the cracks and burst them.

"Nice one, sugar queen," Toph grinned.

"There are more Dai Li!" Aang pointed to what was next, a giant stair case with Dai Li running down the palace steps, flattening them in a surfing motion.

"They want to go flat, we'll go flat," Toph flattened the entire staircase, sending them tumbling down like an avalanche. Katara formed the Octopus and wailed against the falling men, sending them into the moat. Aang joined Toph and Earth Bended up the flattened staircase while Mitsu deflected the flying rocks. There was a kind of lethargy to him though, a slight unwillingness in his actions.

"One more door!" He flew above the Earthbenders and used his Force Bending to unlock the gate.

"How do you know?" Aang asked.

"I've been here before," Mitsu looked at the opening, seeming a bit unsure of going in.

"Um, guys?" Katara pointed to the courtyard that lay before them. A hundred Dai Li had assembled in a square formation with a captain carrying a spear-shaped rock.

"Come quietly or perish," the captain warned, hoisting the spear on his shoulder.

"You can't be serious," Toph formed a bigger spear with her feet.

"I am serious, dead serious," the Dai Li raised the earth around them until even Appa couldn't outpace the rising rock. Toph and Aang tried reversing the rock, but they were no match for a hundred and one other Earthbenders.

"Surrender now?" the captain smirked. Toph punched the wall, only to see the broken rock rejoin the formation just as quickly.

"Damn you!" Toph sat on the ground, which was also resistant to any tunneling attempts.

"I think you should surrender…wait, I know who you are," the captain looked at them.

"I'm the Avatar!" Aang pleaded with the captain.

"Not _you_, it's obvious who you are. I meant _him_."

"Back then, you were a grunt," Mitsu looked away from the captain.

The group looked at Mitsu, who looked away from everyone.

"I was a young grunt, and you were a young _runt_. Your brother is going like seeing you. Take them to the King!"

"What's he talking about? I thought you lived in the Great Rock?" Toph whispered as the Dai Li dragged them in a giant ball of rock.

"I did live there most of my life. I didn't say I was born there," he fell silent.

The ball dissolved as soon as the palace doors were shut and the team was bound in earthen chains which Toph couldn't break.

"Solid diamond linked with steel, this is really tough."

"The Dai Li were originally trained by Kyoshi herself," Mitsu walked behind the others, "she taught them a lot of things most Earthbenders have forgotten."

Aang stopped past a giant portrait of the Avatar draped on the wall. "How can I ever live up to this giant of a woman?"

"You're no Earthbender, Aang, you don't have to be like her at all," Katara slowed down to stand next to him. A tall Dai Li official stepped in front of them and shoved tem forward.

"She only came here once," Mitsu continued slowly. "I guess this is your first and last time here as well."

"How do you know this place?" Toph looked up at him, noting how he unlocked the greater gates. He didn't answer her.

The next door was made out of an ornate metal carving with painted green facades and brass hinges, and it creaked slowly open. Guards stood either side of an empty throne, tall behemoths of men thanks to their layered armor that covered all except for their eyes. A lone man stood beside the seat, with a long ponytail but no helmet.

"I haven't seen_ you_ in a long time," he pointed at Mitsu, who looked away.

"Mitsu, what the hell is he talking about?" Toph pleaded with him.

"ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF HIS GRAND MAJESTY THE KING AND SOVERIGN OF THE EARTH KINGDOM, KUEI THE 52ND!" a herald boomed as a man stepped out from behind the throne. He wore two rounded spectacles and stared blankly at the group, resting his robes on the seat.

"These are the people who attacked the gates and invaded this palace," the pony tailed man pointed to them. "And this is their beast," a group of heaving men dragged Appa in a giant net. "You also have a special guest, your Majesty." The king shot up and couldn't believe what he was seeing. A bear crawled out into the room and began slobbering over Mitsu.

"What is he talking about, for the last time?" Toph's voice sounded more worried than ever.

"He's my brother," Mitsu hung his head down .


	12. Chapter 12 : Where Have I Been?

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Bosco remembers you, and so do I," the King stood to his full height. He was still dwarfed by the pony tailed man but had broader shoulders. "I have a lot of questions, and I'm sure Long Feng here has even more," Kuei adjusted his glasses. "Who is the kid with the arrow on his head?"

"That, my king is the Avatar," Long Feng pointed to Aang. Aang briefly broke his bracelets to wave, before the Dai Li reinforced their grip. Bosco the bear crawled towards Aang and licked his bald head, making the boy chuckle unwillingly.

"Bosco likes him," Kuei shrugged. "Let them go, except my brother."

"Hey, where are you taking him!" Toph had to be physically restrained by the others. Sokka and Katara were helpless, just as Appa was in his net.

"We have quite a few things to talk about," Kuei himself took Mitsu by the arm and to an adjoining hall. "The others are royal guests, at least after their repair my doors. Just kidding!"

The gang was led outside the throne room by the Dai Li, leaving Kuei and Mitsu in the hall on the other side of where they were taken. Mitsu's bracelets fell apart as the Earth King hugged his brother, with only a solitary guard with them.

"Where have you _been_ all these years?" Kuei's expression changed from stern to relieved. "This belongs to you, not me!" the Earth King took off his robe and offered it to Mitsu.

"I refused last time, and I refuse it now," Mitsu did not look at his brother.

"Come on, the council chose you instead of me!"

"I was _twelve_! And have you forgotten about these?" Mitsu looked Kuei right in the eye, his golden stare contrasting with his brother's calm green. "You were fourteen!"

"I don't care if you're as blind as that kid Earthbender, or have a billion eyes, you're the rightful king and you know it!" Kuei thrust the robes into Mitsu's hands.

"I am not, you twerp!" Mitsu shoved them back with force, sending the King to the ground. "You've been holding on to this responsibility for over five years, I don't see what I could do better."

"I want…I want to get out of here!" Kuei growled as the guard stirred slightly.

"You don't go on your secret walks anymore with that bear of yours? I saw you just the other day in the park. Your impressions of a deep voiced man are not convincing at all."

Kuei sighed and looked at a painting on the wall. "I mean out of the _city_. I'm ruling over a place I've never seen since I was who knows how old. I want out, I wanted to be like you, going to the Song Yi or traveling to other Nations."

"Then what kept you? You're the Earth King, after all. Just tell people to step aside, the Dai Li be damned. That's what I did."

"Long Feng kept me on a tight leash when I was a kid and he still does. I think the only time I did something he didn't anticipate was when I let that Fire Nation prince go. Since then he's been running the place and apparently for my own safety I can't even leave this palace. I hate it here, man! I haven't even seen old Bumi in like, ten years!"

Mitsu grasped his chin. "The Council of Five? Are they also under Long Feng?"

" No, but I can't even give my seal to them and the Dai Li block the army from meeting me directly well, except for my personal guard like Rock here," he tapped the guard on the shoulder.

"You _do_ know there's a war outside the walls and a giant Fire Nation drill that almost broke those walls, right?" Mitsu looked at Rock.

Kuei had a blank expression. "A war? With who? Are the Fire Nation back?"

"Good lords of earth and stone, you don't know? Now I'm glad I left!" Mitsu pulled at his hair. "Don't tell me, Long Feng tells you it was just a raid or something?"

"Raid? No, he doesn't tell me anything!" Kuei made a fist.

"Screw this, you're coming with me," Mitsu threw his staff through the walls and grabbed Kuei.

"What about the others?" Kuei held on to his hat.

"Bosco can entertain them. You must have taught him a lot of things, eh?" Mitsu flew out the hole with his brother.

"You bet! He can juggle, wrestle, do sign language and even write!"

"No way, he can write?" Mitsu burst out of the last cavity in the wall.

"Way! Hey, you're _flying_!! WE'RE FLYING!?" Kuei started screaming. The citizenry looked up, but since no one had seen the Earth King for five years, no one knew it was in fact their lord and master crying like a spanked baby as he streaked across the sky. They reached the Outer Wall, where a panicking General Feng hid under his table.

"We're under attack!" he wailed.

"Sir, it's the stranger with the Avatar's group. And that looks like…the King?"

"It's an impostor, shoot on sight!"

"Oh, shut up General," the Spear Captain sighed. "I mean, shut up General _Sir_. That's the King and the former Prince."

"What? The King? Are you sure, Zhen?"

"Clear as Omashu crystal," the captain waved to the Force bender and the howling sovereign. They landed with a plop and flat on their backs, both laughing like madmen.

"It hurts, but my throat hurts more!" Kuei was helped up by his soldiers.

"You big pansy. I'm ashamed to call you big brother!" Mitsu slapped his brother on the back.

"Scared? No, I was having fun!" Kuei dusted himself off in front of the bemused general. "You can't tell fear from excitement?"

"Excite yourself with _that_," Mitsu pointed to the remains of the giant drill Aang and the gang had stopped with great effort just recently. The hole had been repaired, but the massive metal monster was near impossible to move, with no one really knowing how to operate the machinery, if it still worked. The Earth soldiers had just left it there to rot.

"Bro, _this_ is me being afraid," Kuei looked over the wall. The wall trembled slightly, although no one noticed.

"That thing almost made it to the outer rim. Aang, the Avatar stopped it just in time with our help, especially the blind Earthbender you saw in the throne room."

"We also did our best, my lord!" the general prostrated out of fear rather than custom.

"Why is he bending like that?" Kuei rubbed his head. "We don't do that here. Even the customs seem to have changed outside."

"Long Feng told us that you were merciless to people not pulling their weight. He said that you'd have us crushed underneath the wall to make it stronger!" the general shook.

"Why did he say that? I have no such intention of doing that!" Kuei gasped.

"The Dai Li take people to the palace all the time, especially refugees from other parts of the kingdom," Zhen stepped forward and bent down on one knee, the proper Earth Kingdom customary greeting.

"There are other people here?" the King turned to Mitsu. "Bro, tell me everything!"

"I'll leave that to the Avatar and his group," Kuei looked over his brother's shoulder to see Aang and the crew, with Sokka teaching Bosco how to do back rolls. "General Feng?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Arrest Long Feng and all senior members of the Dai Li. I want to know _everything_." Kuei's voice became darker as he made a fist. Soldiers ran towards the tunnels that led to their barracks underneath the palace, replaced by the fresh guard shift. The earth shook more violently this time, though the guards were used to it from regular training exercises.

"See," Mitsu put his hand on Kuei's shoulder. "That's why you're going to be a great King."

"Right now, I'd settle for people telling me the truth. Starting with the Avatar," Kuei bent his knee for Aang who responded with the Air Nomad bow. "Indoors, where we can all get something to eat. Yes, you as well Bosco." The bear did a perfect forward roll and licked its master. Sokka tried the same thing and fell onto the floor a crumpled heap.

"Damn this Bear bending!"


	13. Chapter 13 : The Southern Water Toph

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

Kuei was still his ridiculously jittery self, but listening to Aang calmed his nerves and brought the Avatar the ears of his top five generals, named the Council of Five. The royal astrologer trailed his fingers over arcane charts as Sokka, seated at the far end tapped his fingers on the mahogany table and Katara yawned during the military yakitey-yak that ensued after each revelation. Her brother was listening but waiting ever more impatiently to start a plan. Mitsu stood in a corner folding his arms, his staff leaning on the wall.

"So it's this day of the next month, my King," the astrologer crossed out a marking on the enlarged calendar.

"That doesn't give us enough time to plan too far ahead, and our troops are scattered over the country. We would need two months at least," General Long noted.

"Without Firebending we can strike at the right moment without getting too many casualties," Aang pointed to the date. "We can use regular army to deal with them."

"The eclipse only lasts about ten minutes, and the second it abates we'll be dead meat if our force isn't large enough. It's not like our navy can match theirs either, how are we going to even get there?" Feng, the tallest general folded his arms and scoffed.

"I met someone in the North Air Temple who can help us," Aang beamed. "He's pretty good with machines and stuff; I've already sent a Messenger Hawk to him and he'll meet us in Chameleon Bay, where you say the Southern Water Tribe warriors are?"

Sokka's chair dropped back to its normal position as soon as he heard the name of his tribe. "My dad is here in the Earth Kingdom?"

"A fleet of Water Tribe ships is moored in the secret Chameleon Bay naval base," General Long pointed to an unmarked section of the map, Earthbending a point on the southern tip. "They have set up tents and camps in the fashion of your people."

Sokka got up, his eyes swelling with anticipation. "I want to be there, then! But who will help the Earth King plan the invasion?"

The five generals looked at him for a few minutes until he realized that they were already doing it.

"I know you're good at planning, Sokka but you really want to see your dad," said Aang. "I'd come too, but I'm part of this big plan too. I'm going to meditate until I can understand the Avatar State better, as the Guru Pathik told me to. You can take Appa there, I'll send you off in a minute."

"I'll stay with Aang and the King, I know how much you want to see Dad," Katara hugged her brother.

"You…are…the…_nicest_ sister ever!" Sokka excitedly kissed his sister on the cheek.

"Take it easy, big brother…" she smirked, "though you're right, I am."

Sokka bowed and left the table, his heart soaring with the prospect of meeting Hakoda his father, after what felt like eternity without them. He had left with other Water Tribe warriors to help out in the North, and Sokka had never heard from him since, being told to stay behind as he had not performed the coming of age ceremony. In reality Hakoda wanted to teach his son responsibility and more seriousness, and Sokka became a mature (if sarcastic) person in no short time, even hunting alone when the tribe needed food. The day they found Aang was the day he killed his first Fire Nation soldier, a deft shot to his neck with Hakoda' s inherited boomerang.

It dawned on the young Water Tribesman that this invasion would cost many lives on both sides, and it seemed that neither Earth nor Fire really cared about their citizenry in times of open war. Perhaps it was fate that the Water Tribe was also involved in this invasion- water might temper the flames and soften the earth, as Aang said to him once. Sokka hardened his heart though, as he still remembered that his mother was one of those very citizens killed by the Fire Nation. His father had cautioned him against blind revenge, but Sokka knew that if Aang didn't defeat the Fire Lord he would have to ,for his mother, whose face he couldn't even remember anymore.

"Hey, Mr. Sarcastic," Toph leaned on the walls of the corridor outside the chambers, "take care of yourself." She jumped into his arms for a hug, praying he wouldn't see her blush.

"I'm going to see my dad! This is so cool, Toph! Why don't you come with me?"

"Why would I want to meet your father? It's not like you haven' met mine, they're all the same, really."

"He's not like _your _dad, he's actually pretty great! A bit like me, really." Sokka stopped grandstanding when he saw that Toph was looking away from him. A single sob was all it took for his expression to change. He fumbled in his pack for a rag but settled for his finger.

"Sorry about that, I'm just a bit excited to see him. Don't cry," he said softly as Toph buried her crying face in his chest.

"You've been reading that journal of your father's haven't you?" he held her tight.

"I'm not an angry person, am I Sokka? I'm just…_guilty_," she used his real name for once.

"Guilty of what? It didn't take us too long to figure out that you didn't leave home with his blessing." Sokka looked down on the unusually strong Earthbending master.

"I miss them, I miss my parents!" she hung her head low. "I'm not like you and Katara; at least you two have each other _and_ your dad. I'm not like that at all. I haven't even heard from them…"

"Well, we _are_ running all over the place," Sokka wiped a tear from the blind girl's eye. "Come on, you haven't met my dad. He's really cool, and it'll get you out of here, at least." After initially taking her hand Sokka found himself dragged by the Earthbender as she excitedly hopped her way to Appa. He smiled to himself, as she was quite happy and for once she wasn't making fun of someone to be that way. He was even surprised that she was excited as Appa took off, usually not one for flying due to her loss of 'sight'. Aang ran out onto the galley waving with both hands, making Appa do a sharp turn round.

"Hey, why are we on the ground?" Toph turned her head from side to side.

"Hey Sokka, just thought I'd let you know, there are three girls here to see the King. It's the Kyoshi Warriors!"

"Suki!" Sokka nearly leaped off the saddle. But his father was more important to him in this moment and his fingers refused to let go of the leather saddle. "Tell her I'm going to the Bay, and well, you know…"

"Yeah, I get it. I'm happy they're here too; I'll tell them as soon as they've seen the King. Hey, isn't that Mitsu?" Aang pointed to a flying man in the distance, going westwards.

"We've all got somewhere to go, I guess," Toph folded her arms. "Let's go already, Sokka!"

Aang grunted again and after a farewell stroke by Aang, who sent a gust of wind to give them a boost. Toph held on to her bun as Appa sped towards the south, bypassing the Outer Wall quite easily and streaking down the shore of the Western Lake. The wind alone was exciting, though she did secretly like the sensation of not looking down- a blind person wouldn't have a fear of heights.

"Sokka, it's great that you've taken me along," she turned to him when Appa reached a steady speed.

"No need to cry, alright? You'll love the guys, even though they can be over macho at the time."

"I can handle macho, I think," Toph punched Sokka in the arm.

"Sorry about what I said about your dad, I was over excited."

"You're not totally wrong; it's just that it was my _father_. He isn't really a bad person, just overly protective of well, everything." Toph sat on the floor of the giant saddle.

"He's afraid that something might happen to you, even though he knows you're tough. My dad didn't let me or Katara out of his sight until he left the South Pole." Sokka mused. "After our mom died he made sure of that."

"I've always wondered," Toph seemed to look at her feet.

"Wondered what?"

"What my mother looks like."

"So do I, sometimes."

"You mean you don't know?"

Sokka pulled at his wolf tail and scratched the shaved sides. "I can't remember her face at all, since she died when I was like, three. Every time I see her face, I see Katara's face instead. Weird, huh? I've never told anyone that before. Not even Katara."

Toph smiled, "She's kind of mom to all of us, I guess. You tell her though, I'll kill you."

Sokka nodded and looked over Appa's head, noticing a patch of blue among the yellow rock. "There, Appa! Down there in the bay!"

Appa made a loud noise and began his descent from the clouds. The southern parts of the Earth Kingdom appeared below them, all but the cliffs covered in green shrubbery and yellowish clay. Distant sandstorms could be seen on the horizon where the Song Yi was while the sea rolled in waves to the south. The blue patch Sokka spotted was soon to be a grouping of light blue tents, with a larger structure in the north of the camp that looked like a large boat converted into a building. Appa landed with a thump, not expecting the icy floor that was glassy to the touch. Some men who were clearly Northern Tribe Waterbenders ran out to catch the sliding Sky Bison, bending the ice to stop him.

"Sorry about that!" one of them called out. "We were wondering when you would come to see the camp!"

Sokka took Toph's hand as they came off Appa, the Bison fitted with special shoes to stand in the ice. "Where's my dad, Hakoda?" Sokka held Toph's hand tight, as she couldn't see on the ice. To her it felt like a hollow mass, as if she was floating on air. She insisted on being barefoot though, as Sokka's grip was oddly comforting.

"He's in the headquarters over there," a Southerner embraced Sokka and pointed to the largest tent, which covered a similarly sized ship.

"What are Northerners doing here?"

"We volunteered to fight with the Earth Kingdom after the Avatar and you left the Poles. The Master was reluctant, but we felt that the Moon was willing us to come here," a Northerner pointed to the half-moon in the sky. Sokka sighed and let go of Toph's hand before taking it again.

"Are you alright, Sokka?"

"I'm fine, just trying not to remember someone." Yue seemed to wink at him from above, but he turned his gaze to the head boat. The Southern fleet wasn't that big, given the size of the tribe itself but that made it more close knit. Everyone knew Sokka of course, but was curious about his companion and the flying beast. The Northerners also greeted him warmly, though Sokka was much more interested in his own brethren, calling out people by name. He stood at the foot of the gangplank connecting the boat to the ground, the bridge dropping down.

"Dad!" Sokka instantly leapt up to the deck and hugged his father. "We haven't seen you in…in…" Sokka had no more words as Hakoda simply embraced his son tight. Except for the traditional wolf tail the two bore no resemblance to each other barring their deep blue eyes. Everyone in the Southern Water Tribe knew, however that they were perfectly father in son from their knack for inventing to the lame puns they both seemed to make. In fact Hakoda made a terrible pun right off the bat.

"Hey, you bring a girl home to see me, and you can't even get that right," Hakoda prodded his son.

"Well, she isn't exactly here to _see_ you…oh I get it! Sokka laughed lightly. Toph huffed and scratched her head. This was Sokka Senior!

"Nice to meet you, Chief Hakoda," she waved. "I'm Toph Bei Fong, but people just call me Toph. And no, I'm not his girlfriend." Sokka caught the hesitance in her voice when saying that, though he didn't point it out. His thoughts went immediately to Suki, who oddly enough was in Ba Sing Se.

"This is Toph; she's the Avatar's Earthbending master. Katara's his Waterbending master. Cool huh dad?"

"Katara's a Waterbending master?" Hakoda opened the door and motioned for Toph to be brought in. "I looked long and hard for someone from our tribe to teach her up till the day I left with the men."

"Our Master Pakku trained her," one of the Northerners pulled down his facemask. "She was pretty good when she got to the North Pole, though. Pakku called her a true master when they left. We followed her example and came here."

"This Avatar, where is he from? I've only heard names, and those Northerners only came a week or so ago."

"He's an Airbender, believe it or not," Toph butted in, beginning to feel ignored on the meeting floor of these rather tall gentlemen.

"An _Air_ bender? I didn't even know they existed anymore."

"He's the last one apart from that Sky Bison out there," Sokka mused. "Aang's also learning quickly, right now he's learning from Toph here and other Earthbending masters."

Hakoda's face turned grim. "If I'm right, the Avatar has to master all _four_ elements. You wouldn't happen to know any friendly Firebenders, do you?"

"We met one old guy a while ago, but Aang couldn't control his fire and almost burned Katara. Luckily she learned how to heal with water after that. Aang's promised not to Firebend ever again."

"It can't be helped," Toph stood up. "He needs a Firebending teacher; it's just that one won't pop up right in front of him. He also needs his fur ball and his sarcasm teacher, so we had better get back so you can see your_ Suki_," she said somewhat menacingly.

Hakoda got up and some men held out baskets of finger food which Toph smelled and knew were freshly baked.

"I thought you might like some home cooked treats," Hakoda took one meat rasher and swallowed it in one go. Sokka grabbed one whole basket and started chowing down. After one teasing touch Toph's taste buds hummed and she was fighting Sokka for the basket. She couldn't Earthbend, although the solid floor gave her perfect foot-vision.

"Always works," Hakoda grinned at his lieutenant. "Son, you should take me to see this Suki someday."

"Of course, dad!" Sokka was prying the stubborn Toph off the basket with his feet. "If I can get a hold of this basket first! Hey Toph, stop biting my arm!" he waved her away. "You'll love Suki, dad! She's an amazing girl, let me tell you _that_!" His thoughts fluttered for a moment and Toph found the basket an easy steal, although she felt it to be a pyrrhic victory as Sokka chanted the Kyoshi Warrior's name.

"Yeah, _whatever_ …." She mumbled between gobbles.

The next few hours were more formal, with Sokka describing the plan to invade the Fire Nation on the day of the solar eclipse. Toph was impressed with the normally wise-cracking Sokka's serious tone of voice, detailing how he had left a suggestion for Katara to convey to the Earth King , namely that the Mechanist be involved as well as Appa himself donning armor. The eccentric inventor would be the wild card the Fire Nation might not expect, especially given that his inventions were largely _for_ the Fire Nation, albeit unwillingly crafted. Sokka stood up, looking every inch the scrawny teenager that his father reluctantly left at home but with confident eyes Hakoda had not seen for a while.

"We'd be honored to take part! We didn't come to the Earth Kingdom for nothing," Hakoda raised his son's arm to cheers from the Water Tribesmen around him. "We'll ready our ships and pay back the Fire Nation!" More cheered, but Sokka waved the cheers down this time.

"The Fire Nation has better ships than either Earth or Water countries; my plan involves us stealing some to distract the Admirals of the fleet. The eclipse won't last long, and the Fire Nation has a lot of other weapons it can use like its ships. Dad…we might have to sacrifice our own boats to pull this off." Sokka looked nervously at his father, as Water Tribesmen considered boats to be their prize possession, particularly ocean going vessels.

"Whatever it takes," Hakoda replied grimly. There was no cheering this time, although all were in agreement.

"I wish I could help, but I'm no good at sea. I can't even swim!" Toph shrugged.

"You can do something for us, young lady," Hakoda walked towards her. "Can you make some narrow caves for us? If we're to trap the Fire Nation ships we'll need a fake dock, complete with…"

Sokka exhaled and let his father continue talking. That was Hakoda's habit, launching right into a plan before consulting people. But unlike Sokka, his father was a much better planner and more in tune with the warriors of the tribe. Toph was nodding and shuffling her feet, anxious to get started but wanting to hear more of Hakoda's plan.

"I'm in," she took the chief's hand. Hakoda nodded at his lieutenants and they exited the room, ostensibly to spread the news and to prepare. Fire Nation ships regularly passed by their hidden refuge; getting some would be easy enough. Hakoda hugged his son and left the room to the two younger warriors, who were left sitting next to each other.

"Your dad sounds like a really cool guy," Toph turned toward Sokka.

"He is," Sokka munched on the basket's content. "That's why he's the chief. Katara doesn't share that feeling much though," Sokka looked at the crumbs on his hand.

"How come?"

"I think she blames him for leaving us to come here. You think she wanted to come here? I know her better than that," Sokka swallowed some bread.

"And I thought Sugar Queen would be delighted to have a family reunion," Toph brushed some crumbs off her feet.

"We both love Dad, but I guess she just doesn't identify with him as much. You know how that feels, I suppose."

Toph reached in a pocket and pulled out her father's embossed journal. "I'm not so sure anymore, Sokka. The more I read this, the less different I feel we are. I'm not going back there, though. I know my place and it's with you guys."

"Toph," Sokka took the book out of her hand and ran his hand over it, "wherever we are, our parents are still our parents. Our home is still our home. I've gone right across the world to the North Pole, but home is with Gran-Gran and the South." Toph felt Sokka's gloved hand come over hers as he handed the book back. She heard his heart beat a little slower, as if he was sad when talking about home. "I'm sure your parents just want you to be home for the right reasons, and they'll welcome you back like you never left," he put his arm round her shoulder.

"Thanks, Sokka," Toph wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. He was warm to the touch, though his heartbeat remained the same. "I've always wanted to send them a letter, but I need someone to write it."

"When we get back we can borrow Mitsu's Messenger Hawk. Right now you need to start doing what my dad asked."


	14. Chapter 14 :The Firebending Tourists

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

Um, can I still do what I want to him? I'm a bit nervous now…" Zuko's hands shook slightly. The tea tray was quite stable, but the liquid seemed to swirl inside like a whirlpool in the Serpent's Pass.

"We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King himself! I feel incredibly honored!" Iroh looked at himself in a corridor mirror and adjusted his green robe and by habit, his belly.

"It's an invitation to the royal tea room… or the dungeon, or worse, the chopping block!" Zuko tried to whisper, as the guards were rumored to be able to hear through the walls.

"Quiet 'Lee', the guards _can_ hear through the walls using Earthbending!" Iroh shushed his nephew.

A burly looking man slid a door open, bowing to Iroh and Zuko. He had no weapons, though his uniform indicated he was an Earthbender. Iroh couldn't see his face under his high collar, but he looked serious.

"The King will be with you in half an hour, please prepare the table for his arrival."

The guard stepped out, pointing the way to a room at the end of the corridor with an unadorned table surrounded with cushions. Tapestries hung from the wall, brazen characters written on them. Two guards were side by side near the door, but it was all creepily silent to Zuko. They had been awoken by several guards and officials only a few hours earlier, but the messenger managed to produce the invitation before Zuko could even find his dual swords.

_His Earthly Majesty , Kuei the King of Ba Sing Se and all the Earthly Realms invites Mushi , new owner and tea brewer of the Jade Dragon Inn to serve his Earthly Majesty on the middle hour of the morning when the fifth bell strikes and after the announcements are made. Please do not be late, for in Ba Sing Se nothing is too early and nothing is too late. It just is as it has always been._

_Sealed by: Arts and Entertainments Division 3, under the power of the King_

"Wow, that's a lot of seals," Zuko noted all the 'copy to' seals and 'for the care of' seals and about twenty different seals around them. The King's seal was clearly the largest and on top of all the others, something resembling the national crest but red. "Did the King himself actually write this?"

"After he drinks our tea he will be writing to us a lot more," Iroh met the invitation with a mixture of elation and foreboding. He would finally meet Kuei, who as a young 11 year old boy king stopped his soldiers from dismembering the corpse of Iroh' s son Lu Tien and even sending him home in Earth Kingdom finery. Iroh wondered if he was still wearing that odd hat as well as the long jade beads that were the King's symbol of office and rank, and most prominently the eyeglasses that made him stand out in a world of people with perfect vision. He remembered his own generals begging him not to forgive the Fire Nation general, hoping for more than a military victory. Kuei was the only person to look Iroh right in the eye and understand his pain.

_He is already crushed. Send him home_, Iroh remembered him saying. The retreat was painful for the proud Fire Nation men, compounded by the fact that the Earth King didn't even seek retribution, not even during the long march back to the port. Forgiveness, they learned was an even harsher punishment than vengeance. The emptiness of the landscape drove some of the men mad, running aimlessly into the desert or towards the east back to the city where they never came back. No Earthbender attacked them all this time but no one spoke to them or even appeared in front of them. The Earth Kingdom's large size was evident here, and few of Iroh's men wanted to stay after finally reaching the shores. Many had died on the way back, as no towns or villages were on their route to Ba Sing Se- a fatal mistake Iroh made in charging the capital directly. He left on the last boat out, a single boy waving to him from the shoreline, golden eyes full of sadness. Today, he thought, would be a turning point where everyone would appreciate his real skills – not war but providing happiness for all.

"Half an hour in Ba Sing Se seems like a whole day," Zuko tapped his fingers on the kettle as the silence bored holes in his skull. His thoughts were stopped cold by heavy footfalls around him, where he found the floor stuck to his feet. Twelve men in conical hats rose out of the ground, all bearing the telltale symbol of the Dai Li. A series of lighter footfalls were heard behind a wall, with two more Dai Li popping up with a very familiar face.

"Azula!" Zuko's flames ignited almost immediately.

"Dear niece, do you know why I was called the Dragon of the West?" Iroh simply stood up with no flames.

"I don't think I have time for your long stories," the princess waved her uncle away and turned round. A sudden heat surge behind her forced her to duck, as Iroh' s mouth suddenly ignited with flame, torching the sleeves of the Dai Li, whose uniforms protected them from serious burns, although the proximity of the flame forced them to step back. Iroh turned in a full circle and threw all of them back, bursting into a sudden run. Zuko followed his uncle, dropping the stance he was holding and firing flame blasts to hold the elite Earthbenders off. Iroh stopped running and fired a blast of lightning at the wall of the room they had started in.

"Come on, Zuko!" he called after his nephew. Zuko had his back to Iroh, dodging Azula's blue flames and making some of his own.

"I'm going nowhere, I've been all across the world and even _here_ you try to kill us, Azula!" the two clashed at point blank range. "I challenge you…to an Agni Kai!"

"Don't be stupid, I've already won," Azula backed off and let the Dai Li men raise an earthen platform to block Zuko' s fire and then bind him tight. Iroh looked on in horror but leapt out the wall. Two hands gripped him on the shoulder and lifted him off the ground. Flames erupted from his hands but as Iroh looked up his face turned less grim.

"Mitsu! They've got Zuko!"

"Who? The city is in chaos, somehow the Outer Wall's been breached by tanks and airships! We have to get to the house!"

"What good is that, my nephew is still back there with Azula and her Dai Li minions!"

"Dai Li?" Mitsu nearly dropped Iroh. "They've…oh no, Kuei!" His flight became a zigzag burst between buildings, clothing lines and desperate flying rocks launched by the soldiery at the invading airships. Mitsu landed on the roof just as a rock flew past Iroh's head, having missed an airship and thundering just outside of the house.

"I don't have time for lengthy explanations, my lord but stay in this house. I have friends coming to help, but I have to get into the palace now!" Mitsu swung at a falling rock and hit an airship, making it explode above the din of the panicked citizenry.

"Wait, who are these friends of yours?" Iroh tugged at Mitsu's boot as he tried to fly away.

Mitsu looked Iroh in the eye. "The Avatar and his friends…look out for their Sky Bison, which is coming in from the south! Tell them to send my Messenger Hawk to me when they are all out of the city! Just get _in_ the house! It's fire-proof and can't be collapsed by Earthbending!"

Iroh looked at the youngster's panicked face as they stared at each other for what seemed like longer than the few seconds they actually were, then nodded. "The Avatar picks good friends," he walked slowly into the house.

"You're _my_ friend too, old man! If we ever see each other again, remember you aren't alone!" Mitsu turned and sped upwards into the fray, as more flaming bombs fought flying rocks for control of the city. It was near pandemonium in the Inner Ring; most people there had never even heard of the word "war" in there, let alone experience a full invasion. Mitsu saw two Generals being dragged to the palace from their official residences, but could spare no time as Kuei would be in terrible trouble if his generals were already taken. He focused all his power and thrust his wrists forward, powering his force through rock and stone. The Royal Guards raised the innermost wall all the way, surrounding the Palace in rock, although Dai Li emerged on the battlements to attack them as well. Mitsu pulled his fist back and punched at the dome, cracking it in several places and throwing Dai Li off the wall. Grabbing one, he threw him all the way back towards the house, a small poof seen in the distance. The Avatar's group would know what to do with Iroh, as well as the Dai Li man he had just gifted them.

Below him though, he saw more Dai Li turning on Earth soldiers, earth on earth battles aplenty. His heart burned with rage and his eyes glowed brightly, and his rod bent into an axe. A red rage washed over the Heretic, one inherited from his forbears and unseen by most until today. One word escaped his lips in a terrifying, echoing voice.

_Die._

The eyes turned red.


	15. Chapter 15 : The Fire In My Tea

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

The plan was simple. Coerce the leader of the Dai Li, and then take the Dai Li from him and the kingdom from the King. Azula, princess of the Fire Nation almost laughed to herself as she and her two friends had the Earth King alone in his throne room, undefended and with no place to run. She noticed the alone part and laughed out loud, rubbing her Kyoshi make up off.

"Well, well... seems we have a deal to make, eh King of the Earth?" Azula crept forward and lit her blue flame. Ty Lee and Mai stood near her, also dabbed in Kyoshi outfit and make-up.

"What do you want?" Kuei was frozen on his throne.

"Oh nothing, just your _kingdom_! " Azula flamed his throne to ashes.

"Your Majesty!" Sokka ran up the stairs to the room, huffing and puffing with Toph beside him. "Hey, you're not Suki!" he pointed to Azula, who was wearing Suki' s headpiece.

"Master of the obvious," Mai looked dispassionately at the two.

"Why are all the cute guys on the other side?" Ty Lee pouted.

"Should we waste our time on you? Where's the Avatar?" Azula pointed a flame at the Earth King.

"Coming to stop you," Toph started the Mantis stance, "if we don't get you ourselves!"

Mai leapt off the dais and fired three knives at Toph, who sensed them as she jumped and raised an earthen wall. Sokka threw his boomerang at Ty Lee, avoiding her dangerous jabs but finding her less than willing to fight, as she winked constantly at him.

"I think you all should stop," Azula formed a fire noose around the King's neck. "The King here has decided to abdicate," she kicked Kuei backwards. Sokka and Toph looked at each other and stopped their movements, cursing Azula under their breaths. Aang was down in the caverns where Katara and Zuko were held and beyond communication.

"Fine, you win," Sokka dropped his boomerang, smiling.

"Why is that guy smiling?" Mai opened three stilettos.

Azula's pained cry explained why, the side of her back ripped and bleeding from three massive claw marks.

"Bosco!" Kuei hugged his best friend.

"Let's get out of here, Mr. King!" Toph Earthbended the King and his bear into a sled, gathering herself and Sokka into what looked like a bullet and shot out the throne room. Dai Li rushed to Azula's aid, although the injuries were largely superficial. More agents stood ahead of Toph and fired her bullet back into the throne room, sending the King and Sokka tumbling with the Earthbending master dragged into a platform fight with several of the Dai Li.

"We're stuck here!" Sokka jumped out of the way of Mai's knives.

"Your damn animal _hurt_ me!" Azula leapt right at the king, a massive blue blast shooting down like a comet.

"Your Majesty!" Toph called out from the platform she was using to throw rocks at the agents that had surrounded her.

"The King!" Sokka looked in horror as the flames engulfed the bespectacled man. There were no cries of pain or anguish, but Azula didn't care as she piled on the fire. Ty Lee stopped fighting Sokka and terror also filled her face. Azula was _really_ angry now as she let the fire burn around Kuei, lightning forming around her back and onto the tips of her fingers.

"You should have missed, bear!" Azula launched the lightning into the inferno.

"Azula, stop! You'll burn the whole place down!"

"I _don't care!_" Azula growled. She now blasted more lightning until the floor was blackened

"Well, I do," a voice sounded from inside the inferno.

"King Kuei!" Sokka ran as close as possible to the bonfire, which was so hot he felt the skin on his arm singe.

"I'm fine, but now I'm a bit unhappy."

"What!?" Azula stopped her onslaught at the sound of the King's voice. Who was there? A Firebender? Some spiritual magician?" What could be blocking her fire? Why wasn't the king screaming as his flesh was burned off his body?

The fire eventually died down, revealing a completely untouched Kuei and Bosco, a clear circle around them burnt by Azula's fire.

"Glass!" Toph leapt beside Sokka, her foot-vision noticing the otherwise invisible barrier.

"Glass?" Azula charged up another lightning blast. "That's pathetic, even for an Earthbender!"

"I'm not a pathetic Earthbender," Kuei took off his hat and let his long hair flop to the ground. "I am the King of Earthbenders! My kingdom is lost, but I haven't!"

"I've never seen _glass_ bending before," Sokka and Toph got behind the King, whose glass walls blocked all shots of stone, knife and flame. Kuei and Bosco seemed to do a little dance as they both raised rock corkscrews that spun large clouds of dust into the room. Ty Lee was the only one of the aggressors that got close but slammed right into the glass wall.

"Earth into glass, glass into clay," Kuei formed a stance and flicked his finger. The Dai Li fell into suddenly created clay holes that swirled viciously. Mai and Ty Lee flipped back to Azula's side, as the obsidian rock wouldn't be turned to clay.

"Clay, into sand!" Kuei spread his fingers and turned the walls to sand, looking ruefully at the beleaguered city he called home. "I trusted the Dai Li too much," he looked at Bosco. "Come on, guys we have to get out of here!" The sand fell on Azula's group, which were unable to bend sand, or even rocks their former king rooted to the ground with a simple foot stomp.

"How?" Sokka pointed outwards ,"the whole place is up in flames!"

"Him!" Appa dived into the hole they were looking through, though he was surprised by Bosco getting on first. Kuei helped Toph and Sokka up and took one last look at his station for 16 years. "Goodbye, Father, Mother, forgive me…the Earth Kingdom has fallen."

"Look at that!" Sokka pointed to the ground. Toph couldn't, but she heard gruesome cries of pain from the ground, so chilling that she curled into a corner of the saddle.

"It's not the Fire Nation, it's Mitsu! He's… he's…what is your brother doing!?" Sokka hid behind Bosco.

Mitsu's eyes were bright red, standing between the palace door and a combined Dai Li and Fire Nation force. To Sokka's horror there was a giant pool of blood between Mitsu and the front line, with Dai Li and Fire Nation uniforms. Kuei hung his head and touched his face. He then shouted out his brother's name loudly many times, though there was no reply. Sokka took another peek as Mitsu focused his power through his palms, thousands of bones cracking as spines collapsed through sheer force of will. One Dai Li leapt above the others and launched his rock glove, which Mitsu easily shattered. Reaching out , he grabbed a space where a skull would be and squeezed his hand into a fist. The Dai Li agent fell to the ground headless. Kuei was aghast and his eyes nearly in tears ,but steeled his nerves and took a deep breath.

"ISHI! ISHI!! I'm up here, brother! I'm safe! Bosco is safe!" Kuei called out as loud as he could .Bosco waved with his hands but his bear howls fell on deaf ears.

"Kuei…?" Mitsu's eyes returned to their original golden colour when he finally heard his brother's voice. He force bent a tower behind him, hooking it with an imaginary line like a fish. The tower slammed into the confederate lines, the cloud of dust operating as an escape shroud. The brothers embraced each other tightly, Mitsu gripping his brother tight.

"You're safe! We have to go _now_, before the whole city is burnt!"

"I can't leave like this! The Avatar is down there!" Kuei ducked a flying fireball.

"Guys, I have to take Kuei and Bosco out of here, you have to help Aang!" Mitsu turned to Toph and Sokka.

"Hey, where are you going?" Toph flailed helplessly to Mitsu, who she couldn't see in the air.

"Kuei has to live, so does Aang. It's destined that we part for now here. I have friends in the East, but you have to go west and south. The elements will protect you," he kissed Toph on the forehead. "Don't listen to stupid snob girls," he whispered in her ear.

"Sokka, take my hawk and send me messages if you can. I can't join you in your next madcap plan, I'm afraid. Take care of your sister; she's more vulnerable than you think."

Mitsu leapt off Appa with the King and his bear hanging on his arms, force bending eastwards. Sokka and Toph turned to a gaping hole in the floor, where they could see flashes of fire, which usually meant trouble.

"Save the Avatar!" Mitsu was heard as the sounds of war overpowered his voice. As he turned , however a blast of flame brushed past his cheek, forcing him into a downward spiral. Kuei and Bosco let go of him and Earthbended the floor into sand as he crashed.

"Leaving so soon, desert rat?" Admiral Chan's all too familiar voice boomed. "What do we have here, the Earth King and his…what is that?"

"He's a _bear_!" Kuei bent the sand into a wave, pushing several of Chan's men into a house. Bosco stomped the ground and flipped two Fire Tanks on top of another, beating his chest and roaring like mad.

"Come quietly, dear King or suffer!" Chan closed his fists and made two green whips of flame.

"You can suffer for me," Kuei rushed towards the Admiral with two Earth gloves. Chan avoided the attack and leapt over the King, swinging his whip. Kuei raised a wall of glass and shattered it with his fist, resulting in an explosion of shards. The Admiral stepped back and wiped the blood and glass out of his cheeks, grinning.

"I had heard you were a sniveling coward who couldn't even bend," Chan mockingly pointed at Kuei. "I'll make sure you fulfill the first part at least!" Chan raised a humongous wall of fire, the sharp trajectory of the flames separating king and bear.

"I'm not as strong as some people, I'll admit…but what you're doing is real cowardice!" Kuei doused the flames with sand. "Come on, Bosco let's teach this guy!" Bosco roared and copied the King's stance.

"Did you think I'd be an Admiral without an army?" Chan raised his hand and several archers and Firebenders quickly surrounded Kuei and Bosco. Some Dai Li came with ropes, which would sever the Earthbenders' contact with the ground and make them useless in theory.

"I'm not a King without subjects," Kuei held his stance as he spotted a glimmer of green in the sky. The archers fell from their battlements and tanks almost immediately as rocks pelted their armor and broke their bows. The Firebenders also turned to face not Earth Kingdom troops but ordinary looking people, some in ornate robes and others barely clothed. Chan and his troops were forced back by the crude but effective assault, as were the Dai Li who received the brunt of the falling stone and barely stopped the rock rain. The people were no army, however and Fire reinforcements started streaming in.

"My King! You must leave now!" one of the noblemen called out. "The Fire Nation is coming, and we have been betrayed by the Dai Li! Please, you must leave!" the man was struck by a fireball the very next moment and lay unconscious on the ground. Kuei saw more of his people fall and cursed his own ineptitude as king, as well as his ancestors who let the officialdom run the country. Bosco seemed to understand him and put a paw on his master's shoulder. Mitsu crawled out of his crater and put his hand on Kuei's other shoulder.

"You're right; you are a King as long as there are people to call you King. But we must go!" Mitsu grabbed both of them and blocked out all other thoughts as he sped over the Inner Wall and past all the carnage below him. Both brothers felt a painful dagger in their hearts, seeing their childhood home burnt or crushed. Bosco made mournful sounds as they crossed the Outer Wall, ironically in the same place Aang and the others came through the other day. The wall's large shadow kept them out of view, together with Kuei raising a reflective mirror above them.

"How did you learn all that?" Mitsu dabbed some ointment on his facial burn.

"Bosco taught me," Kuei took an apple from Bosco's hip pack and gave it to the bear.

"Bears can bend Earth? I've never heard that before," said Mitsu, as Kuei took over transportation duties with a large platform that glided over the landscape and around the marauding Fire Nation armies.

"He's what you might call a Pure Land animal. There aren't that many around, if you think about it." Kuei shunted them towards the port town.

"A Pure Land animal? I've seen a few…a turtle here, a cat there…wow, big buddy, I didn't know you had it in ya!" Mitsu punched Bosco in the arm.

Kuei looked at the burning city one last time and hung his shoulders. "The Earth Kingdom…has fallen." He sunk to his knees and punched the ground.

"Azula will pay for this in the worst way possible," Mitsu put on his war mask. "I will make her suffer several lifetimes over."

"She is the enemy," Kuei got up. "But Long Feng is the one who will suffer, as will the Dai Li. I don't understand Azula but I do understand Long Feng. Listen, I don't want you to go all red-eyed anymore… you remember the last time?"

Mitsu hugged his brother. "I remember…"

"You're smarter than that, which why I let you live outside and never looked for you. It seems I finally get my chance after all, though I wish I didn't have to lose my kingdom to do it. Mitsu, I'm glad you're here. We can finally take that long walk you promised me when you left."

"Where did you want to go, the last time?" Mitsu spotted the port town looming ahead.

"Your place, of course."


	16. Chapter 16 : King Nothing

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Are we there yet?" Kuei was practically lying on his Ostrich Horse.

"No, not yet, the Rock is in the _middle _of the desert," Mitsu took a swig at his water bottle and spilled the rest on his head. It seemed to disappear as soon as it touched his skin, offering but a few seconds of cooling.

"We have to be careful," the Sand bender guide turned towards them. "There are many stories of caravans being attacked by marauders. Hopefully we're not too large a group."

"What kind of marauders?"

"The Fire Nation has some animal trainers, it's said that they found some beasts that run wild over the desert sands. They feed them the insides of cactus plants and make them hallucinate and run wild. When all is in disarray they rob the survivors."

"That's not just the Fire Nation, that nut job with the hammers also did that when he was bored," Mitsu took out his staff. The sand roof borne by the wind precluded him from flying up, while it was only the combined efforts of Kuei, Bosco and the Sand Benders that kept it from settling on them and sweeping them into nowhere.

"No one usually takes this direction," the lead Sand Bender called out as he shielded his mouth with his scarf. Why are we avoiding the usual route?"

"Someone was watching us at the oasis," Mitsu turned round as he covered his mouth as well. "Anyone who watches us is trouble," he squinted but couldn't see past Bosco, who was hindmost of the caravan. With them were a small party of three Sand benders, seven Ostrich horses and one donkey mule powered wagon laden with the Sand Benders' goods.

"How do you know that?" Kuei put his cap over his mouth and pushed more sand over their heads with his bending.

"No one sits alone in an inn like that. Three seats, no company but set tables. No dirt on his clothes, either. We might have one of Chan's Commandoes here."

"Chan, the guy who almost burned us to a crisp in the city?"

"One and the same, he actually had the bones to attack me at the Rock. He's trouble…people sometimes called him the Green Phoenix because of his flames." Mitsu narrowed his eyes.

"Can this 'commando' follow us this deep in the desert?" a Sand bender pulled a dune apart for them.

"They are overhead," Mitsu noticed a balloon through a tear in the sand curtain and pointed up.

"How many?" the leader pulled a dune over their heads.

"I see about four," Mitsu noted. Bosco howled as his Ostrich Horse had its legs yanked out from under it, a hulking vehicle appearing behind him. Two grey-uniformed men held the ropes that had felled the Ostrich Horse, with one parting the sand shield. The bear angrily got up and roared.

"Collaborators, Chan's favourite kind of Earthbender," Mitsu assumed fighting pose. These were not Firebenders but Earthbenders who swore loyalty to the Fire Nation, born in its century-old colonies or mercenaries who loved Fire Nation currency. The balloon hovered over the battle, the Fire Nation regulars onboard waiting for one sign to jump in.

"More traitors! Bosco, let's get 'em!" Kuei sent a wave of sand at the Earthbenders, turning it into glass instantly and forcing them to hide behind their vehicle, now moored in sinking sand.

"No one told us the King could bend earth and sand!" one of them howled. A pair of glowering eyes were what they saw next, and last before passing out from the blow of a giant paw to their faces. One more man poked his head out of the vehicle, only to receive a titanium rod to the head and fall back into the vehicle.

"He's the King, you idiot of course he can Earthbend!" another one of the commandoes formed an earth glove form stones in his pouch. "Attack, send up a flare!"

His colleague, leg trapped underneath the sinking vehicle reached for the flare release and with his last effort pulled down the red lever, launching a blue flare high into the desert sky as sand filled his lungs.

"They're coming!" the sand benders rustled up a loose Ostrich horse. "There are more than one of these metal things!" he pointed to the horizon, where more steam-powered vehicles roared over the sands. The flare had apparently alerted an entire division of the Commandoes with their supervising Fire Nation officials safely on their balloon. The group dodged stream after stream of sand, some jets twenty feet tall and cutting like buzz saws across the sand. One of the caravan's sand benders fell on his back, slamming into the mule-less wagon.

"We're being overwhelmed!" Mitsu hurled an empty vehicle at two others.

Kuei looked up. "We might have a chance, everyone cover me!" he put his hands on the sand and it began to swirl around him, with rocks deflected by Bosco, a giant shadow over his master.

"What is that geek doing?" the commando sergeant peered out the view port of his vehicle. The Fire Nation officers on the balloon also looked over the ship's balcony, bemused at the odd activity of swirling sand. They were promptly blown back by a sudden rise in the sand, one barely holding on to the railings as the sand rose in a great big spout that tipped the balloon to one side. The Earth King washed up on the deck of the ship, amazed that his stunt actually worked.

"Get him!" The Fire Nation officers lit up their flames and formed fire whips. Fireballs were too dangerous as the balloon was directly over their heads.

"No earth up here, Ba Sing Scum," the pilot held the wheel as his men approached Kuei with drawn fire weapons.

"No Earth, but there's a bit of stone," Kuei shot his hidden Earth glove up into the balloon, the rock hand going clear through the fabric of the Fire Nation vessel.

"Are you crazy? We're going to crash!" the pilot felt the wheel rebel against him and snap off altogether. "Patch the roof, quickly!" he threw his first mate onto the deck.

"I hope you can swim in the sand," Kuei was about to leap off but tripped and fell head first as the balloon plunged towards the mêlée down below. The Earth King fell into his bear minder's arms, the sand softening under the hulking animal.

"Care to tell me what you just did?" Mitsu flung a commando into a sand pit. The other commandoes turned round, lest they be caught in the war balloon's demise. The balloon was meant for Firebenders and non-Firebenders alike, hence there was a small gas reservoir on board. Although it had no buoyancy the balloon was still faster than the heavy commando transports, hovering an inch above the heads of the traitor Earthbenders.

"Get down!" Mitsu leapt over an improvised sand wall and pushed Bosco's curious head down. The balloon exploded with a fierce _bang,_ the debris from the explosion flying over everyone's heads. "Damn it bro, how did you think of that?"

"Actually, err…" the King looked around at the amazed party, "That was _nothing_ like I planned!" When Kuei explained that he wanted to use his earth glove to capture the Fire Nation captain and make him order them to back off, they all broke into laughter. The king meekly blushed in embarrassment but subconsciously sunk into the ground.

"They are gone or burnt to death," the lead sand bender lowered the wall. "We will take what we can and move on. We will reach the Rock before sunset if we hurry."

"With what? Our Ostrich Horses are gone and the wagon's got nothing to pull it!" Mitsu sifted through the burnt remains of the Ostrich Horse that carried him. "Got any sand sails?"

"Sand sails are useless here, the sand fights even benders near the Rock, and you know that."

One of the transports hummed to life, lurching towards Kuei who barely Earthbended his way out from a certain crash. Mitsu was prepared to tear it in half when he heard

Bosco's confused howl instead of a Fire Nation war chant. The bear had found his way to the controls of the six wheeled all - terrain vehicle but naturally had no clue how to stop it.

"Hang on, Bosco!" Kuei grabbed a boarding rail but found himself hanging off the edge of the vehicle like a flag. Bosco whined and howled as he tried controlling the vehicle, his small feet pushing every pedal he could.

"Calm down, Bosco! That thing is powered by Earthbending!" Mitsu pulled at the vehicle while the Sand benders raised a ramp to try slow Bosco down. "Stop thinking about moving!"

Kuei opened the vehicle's hatch and slid in to soothe sweaty animal friend, the bear shocked out of its wits and nearly crying. Mitsu stuck his head into the vehicle, noticing two exposed pieces of rock adjoining the first set of wheels, while there were four seats plus some rations. Fire Nation emblems covered a wall, which Mitsu peeled off with his Force Bending.

"We claim this vehicle for the Earth Kingdom," Mitsu crushed the metal like it was paper. He remolded the metal into the Earth Kingdom's Badger Mole Seal and slammed it into the wall of the transport. "I'll let His Majesty name it."

"Hmm," Kuei looked at Bosco. "The Sand Warrior, maybe?"

"Might I suggest, Desert Sword?" the lead Sand Bender dropped into the compartment.

"No argument there, now let's ride this Desert Sword to the Great Rock," Kuei placed his foot on an earthen pedal and the vehicle creaked forward. Bosco followed likewise as the other two Sand Benders hooked the wagon onto the vehicle and sat on it, pushing oncoming sand apart while the three Earthbenders inside rotated the wheels of the transport.

"One more thing," Mitsu jammed his finger into the wall, force bending the vehicle's name in characters. "Now we're rocking."

"Bro, you just made a bad pun," Kuei pretended to bite his nails.

"Shut up and drive."


	17. Chapter 17: Home Dark Home

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"This is the Great Rock?" Kuei looked at the hulking mass of stone that formed the center of the Song Yi Desert. The Desert Sword was parked nearby with a bored Bosco juggling some balls from his pack while balancing another on his nose. The Sand benders that had helped them earlier had joined up with a larger contingent of their tribe, leaving the Earth King and his companions alone with the rock people said came from the gods.

"None other," Mitsu took out his staff.

"What now?" Kuei looked around, seeing only sand bender sails and the Rock.

"Take us to the top of the Rock," Mitsu pointed. "Use Earthbending to take the Desert Sword with us, I think we'll need it."

Kuei shrugged and got into the vehicle with Bosco. Soon the ATV was riding up the sheer walls of the Great Rock, all three inside excitingly yelling at the great speed. Kuei in particular was really happy; speed was somewhat a guilty pleasure for the King formerly trapped in the mono-rhythmic Ba Sing Se. The ATV thudded onto the flat top of the Rock and screeched to a halt near its center. Mitsu got out and planted his titanium rod in the ground.

"Didn't this place have a door like those houses down there?" Kuei could see the old town at the Rock's rim.

"The Avatar, Toph Bei Fong and me sunk the House of Knowledge to save it. I can't lift it without at least fifty master level Earthbenders and the Avatar to help." Mitsu turned the rod like a key.

"So we're going down?" Kuei looked at the setting sun. "It's getting dark."

"There's enough glow-crystal in there to make sure we don't know the difference," Mitsu raised his staff. "Focus on this spot and we'll be under a roof in no time."

Kuei focused his feet on the small hole left by Mitsu' s staff, spiraling a larger hole in the ground with his arms.

"You're awfully good at Earthbending, Bosco must have been a good teacher," Mitsu rested his staff on his shoulders and smiled at his brother.

"I really had nothing else to do in the palace, everyone else wanted to do everything for me. Including _living_ for me," Kuei widened his arc and Mitsu hopped upwards and hovered as the hole got bigger. "That will never happen again, although I don't think I'll be so bored anymore."

"Being self taught makes you think in ways people don't expect. You should meet Toph, she learned straight from the Badger Moles."

The hole revealed a blue door in the ground with a no handle but an ornate metal latch in the middle. Bosco nervously edged the ATV closer to the hole, where Kuei made a ramp for it.

"The Badger Moles? She must be pretty good if that's the case! I haven't seen one since we were little kids, remember?"

"Of course I remember," Mitsu laughed and patted his brother on the back. "Running with spades in the dirt, falling over the baby badger moles in the nursery. I remember wanting one so bad I almost took one baby home!"

"But not before its mother grabbed you and dragged you both back! They may be blind but they're not stupid." Kuei laughed as Bosco joined them.

"Toph is blind as well, so that makes her even more unique," Mitsu looked westwards.

"Hey, is she your girlfriend?" Kuei elbowed his brother. "You talk about her all the time."

"Girlfriend? I've never asked, let alone asked her out," Mitsu found his cheeks reddening. "Speaking of which, we can't be seen out here. I'll open this and you guys Earthbend the Desert Sword down after you hear my voice."

Mitsu touched the metal latch, letting his bending take care of the gears and mini-locks inside. There was no key here; a Heretic would find their own trademark way in, as with the shrine in Ba Sing Se. Chao Dong of the Northern Water Tribe, for instance picked it with cloth while his Southern tribesman Maki filled it with oil and over-lubricated the mechanism. Mitsu heard the final lock click open as the door swung inwards, leading to a small tube.

"This was the topmost tower of the Library," he gazed down into the hole. "I'll get down there, and you'll see the rod come back up and show you the spot to Earthbend right down."

Mitsu dived head first into the darkness as stars began to appear in the sky behind him, the first signs of night. Buzzards would be coming soon, as night was their feasting time. He landed on the soft floor of the top level, reserved for maps and histories of kingdoms long gone in the Earth Kingdom. Patting the ceiling he sent the titanium rod up, bending it into a drill tip. Soon the Desert Sword was down there with the entire group and the door was closed and covered with Earth. Green crystals covered the walls, shimmering as Kuei touched them.

"So these were your digs for…six years now?"

"Forever," Mitsu put a book back in place after picking it up off the floor. "I could live here forever. We can stay here for a while until we move on."

"Why do we have to move on? This place looks like a safe fortress," Kuei opened a book that was nearly half his size.

"Ba Sing Se was a safe fortress," Mitsu growled. "We have to stop thinking like Earthbenders and a bit more like the Avatar. He's been traveling almost non-stop for the past six months, trying to learn everything he can before the arrival of Sozin's Comet. You're the Earth King, and it's my job to teach you until we find a better teacher."

Kuei shut the massive book with a dust cloud forming. "Better teacher? Ishi, you know a hell of a lot more than me, that' s why I shoved the robes in your face as soon as you came home. I'm not worthy and I know it."

"That's why you have to be king. I can't stay with you, Shin Kuei," Mitsu used the King's seldom used birth name. "The Avatar needs me and the power of the Golden Path if he's going to win. Still, he also needs to know that people have got his back over here. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't understand! Why can't I travel with you and your friends?" Kuei crossed his arms.

"Our kingdom is huge, and you have to realize we've already gone further than you've ever been your whole life! We can't help anyone if we're out there traveling like a bunch of lost children!" Mitsu made a fist. "We need to give the Avatar some peace so he can do what he needs."

"He can't launch that invasion of his yet," Kuei looked at a star chart. "Even if he does reach that day, it's not like he's got the army behind him now."

"He's got many friends from all over, plus the Water Tribe warriors are still here I hope. Yet the people here need help. We need to give the Earth Kingdom somewhere to rally to distract the Fire Nation. We are going to get the Big City back," Mitsu cracked his knuckles.

"Omashu?" Kuei blinked, "What good would that do?"

"There's a resistance there led by a Colonel Wong and some of the locals. But for now, we rest. The bedrooms are down that hallway. You two get some rest, we're going into town tomorrow to get news and stuff."

"Fine, fine," the bespectacled ex-King snapped his fingers and Bosco followed him down the hallway.

The aisles were just as Mitsu left them ages ago when he first met Aang, although now that they were underground, it felt damp and dingy. Aang once asked how people got up to the higher shelves without a ladder. To Sokka's annoyance Mitsu stated that any bender worth their salt would find a way up, noting the presence of small water pools, the fire-proof earthen floor while of course, an Airbender could merely spout up. That was why the monks probably read the most in this library, the one for master benders of all arts. Its former keeper was a different sort of Bender of course, but that only made him more suitable to the task. Mitsu threw open a pair of heavy doors into an adjoining chamber, which contained no books but an ornate crystal chair raised on a small platform. Some spider bats cackled as he walked through their webs but Mitsu paid no heed to them.

"It's time, it's destiny," Mitsu dusted off the crystal chair and sat on it. He was soon fast asleep, finally overcome by his trials. The chair seemed to resonate with his breathing, glowing and dimming as he exhaled. The world seemed to fade away as his dreams took him to far away lands, to far away people. They took him to the distant past and the possible futures that could happen. He saw ash and rubble, he saw glory and prosperity, he saw uncertainty for all four nations. The chair vibrated slowly, soothing his nerves and his exhausted limbs as he slept, dreaming of his friends far west and friends he would see in the future, clouded in shadow. He saw the tired old uncle he was forced to abandon in Ba Sing Se, he saw his confused nephew with his facial scars. The Dream Chair would help anyone who desired it, but even it or its occupant couldn't save the Earth Kingdom alone.

"He carries one heavy burden," a spirit stared at the dreaming Heretic as his body ignored all outside stimuli.

"Long Jin, he may be the last of our kind," another stepped out of the shadows.

"As long as there is bending there will be those who adventure into the unknown and seemingly forbidden," the former rogue Earthbender turned to Kari Omoto, former rogue Airbender.

"He now has three paths to choose from. His brother, the Avatar and his Path," the bearded spirit folded his hands into his robe sleeves.

"I am an Airbender, we walk all paths at the same time as all the sky covers all the lands," Kari raised his hands as his eyes and hand tattoos glowed in the part-darkness. "His destiny will not abandon any of those paths," Kari danced through the air. "For he is the Lode Master, the divinely guided herald of the spirit world."

"He is a _boy_, Kari. Such lofty titles are for people who write books and histories long after their possessors perish. Mitsu Ishihara is a boy, the Avatar is a boy and the Earth King is barely an adult himself. Do not burden any of them with expectations they do not know how to meet." Long Jin turned his back to the snoozing Force Bender.

"They will have to meet them," Kari turned round. "The world depends on all of them, no matter how small the role they think they will play."

"No role is too small, my son," Kari Tsung stepped beside her son, eyes glowing white. "People elevate themselves to greatness from small beginnings, even the Avatars grew from children once. You would do well to remember what you left in this library long ago as almost a triviality."

"How would that trinket help the state of the world?" Omoto looked at his mother in bemusement. "It was but a hairpiece, the only thing I found in Roku's cabin before his entire home was lost."

"Enough, Omoto you are also showing the ignorance of youth," Long Jin held his hand out to Mitsu, who stirred. "He will find that 'trinket' and you will see how valuable it is to the world."

The three faded back into the shadows as Mitsu fell back into his dreams, raising one leg onto the arm of the crystal seat. His mind wandered far and wide across the land as it did the numerous other times he slept in this chair of smoothed crystal, seeing people in his dreams that were almost real.

"Ishi, are you asleep?" Mitsu stirred to his brother's voice.

"What are you wearing?" The Earth King held his arms akimbo to show his newly-found apron while behind him Bosco adjusted a chef hat.

"I'm hungry, aren't you? Come on, I apprenticed to the royal chef for quite some time, and you have a pretty good selection down there in the cellar."

"There's food down there?" Mitsu pulled himself off the Dream Chair.

"Quite well preserved grain, plus there's rock candy and water! There must have been a lot of people in here once," Kuei smoothed out hi apron.

"Once, there were hundreds of us," Mitsu ran his hand over the crystal chair, making it hum. "Their scholars would sit in this chair and commune with the Spirit World. They said this crystal came from the center of the Earth."

"Like the pool of the Northern Water Tribe," Kuei rubbed his chin. "The Generals told me about it once, although they never saw it. Let me have a seat," the King replaced his brother on the glowing chair.

"Careful, Kuei!" Mitsu reached for his brother, who seemed to settle into the crystalline seat quite nicely.

"Ishi, bro…" Kuei took a deep breath. "You won't believe what I'm seeing…"

As he opened his eyes, they began to glow violet.


	18. Chapter 18 :The Dream Chair

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Kuei! Kuei!" Mitsu tried to pull his brother out of the seat, but seemed rooted to it by a force even bending couldn't dislodge. Bosco' s joining only made the effort more taxing on the both of them, and both fell with a thump to the ground.

"I can see…is that Chameleon Bay? That's…the town of Chin...I can see Ba Sing Se!" Kuei' s hands trembled at the sight of his ancient throne being sat on by a Joo Dee.

"See? What do you mean?" Mitsu still pulled at his brother's arm.

"I can see their forms, their faces, their animals…this is amazing!"

_No Earth King has sat on this chair since the early days._ A voice rumbled through the chamber.

"Who is that?" Mitsu summoned his staff and Bosco stood on two legs.

_It has not been in the hands of the Earth King since the days of yore. You do not know my voice, but I know yours, Mitsu Ishihara brother of the King and friend of the Avatar._

"Who are you?" Kuei felt drugged in the chair.

_Who am I? I am Lode, the Earth Spirit. I came here in the earliest of times to give life to the world. This chair is but a way to receive me. Long ago I founded the Earth Kingdom from the bones of the world and the bowels of the earth._

A glowing apparition hissed out of the ground and took the shape of a man wearing a mask and holding a giant staff that resembled a big tuning fork. Mitsu recognized the mask as the same one he wore against the Fire Nation drill, which he always felt compelled to wear against them.

_Now you know my face, Heretic? You have worn it in my name even though you knew it not. The King would do well to listen to my words, as it is the season of spring when your people are strongest. Do not fear the Dream Chair, Shin Kuei! It is your birthright to sit in it and your blessing to see through the Earth. Far too few of your people do so these days and thus often see nothing._

Bosco pointed to his eyes, but the spirit shook its head.

_The eyes can see, but for people of the Earth the feet can also see through the ground and in some cases the sand. This chair, Shin Kuei is attuned to all the crystal and rock in the Kingdom. You can see anything within the Kingdom as your ancestor the fifth Earth King did when he carved it for my pleasure. No one could surprise the kingdom when he sat on the Chair, bar from the air although those people were always friendly to us._

"There is another Earthbender who sees with her feet, Great Spirit," Mitsu bowed to t Lode. "Her name is Toph Bei Fong and she is teaching the Avatar Earthbending."

_I am aware of that and am pleased. Yet only one may sit on the Chair, and that is the true Earth King who has lost his throne. Rise, Shin Kuei and reclaim your kingdom. The Path of the Lode will help you. If you can, find this Toph and learn how to see without the chair. Like your brother has said, you are also in need of instruction._

"We need to secure the kingdom first, plus I saw many people at Chameleon Bay with some ships in dry dock. Someone is planning an invasion, and I think the Bei Fong lady is with them. We need Omashu, Great one. I cannot turn to them yet. And the Path of the Lode is but one, great as my brother is." Kuei got up and the glow disappeared from his eyes.

The spirit stirred and weaved around the Earth King and his bear. "Those who walk the Path seldom declare it, as they do not know it when they move the Earth. Earth needs a center, Earth needs a focus. Those who follow their own path are Lode Masters like your brother. You may take the City of Two Lovers, and you will have help. You have my blessing and my love. Should you need clarity and rest, you may sit on this chair and dream of peace," the Spirit waved its hand and made the seat glow. "Not you," he waved a disappointed Bosco away. "I think you sleep quite enough, Pure Land animal."

"I never got that Pure Land stuff," Mitsu shrugged.

"Pure Land animals are direct descendants of the Spirits who came here long ago," the Lode sat on the chair. "His ancestor was a friend of mine, though we have not seen each other for twelve Avatar cycles. The ones that people know best are the two Water Spirits Tui and La, who yet dwell in the North with the Water Tribe. I sensed a death and rebirth among them and much tragedy, but the Avatar stopped it all with the aid of a great sacrifice from another. That was their weakness and their strength, being mortal and seen. I dare not do that, as I have spread throughout the lands in the form of the very stuff of the earth.."

"Thus you can never be destroyed," Mitsu rubbed the bear's head. "Neither can our spirit. Thank you, Great One." They all bowed as the chair stopped glowing and the Lode disappeared.

"You have your throne, Shin Kuei of the Earth Kingdom," the spirit's voice echoed as its form faded, "now earn it, and earn your birthright. The Dream Chair will await you when you complete this cycle of fate. Now set your eyes on the first seat of your people after this- the seat of the South, what you call Omashu."

"What did he mean by the cycle of fate?" Kuei turned to Mitsu after the lights came back to normal.

"Every elemental scripture has an idea of things being in a cycle. We have no idea though, what our cycles are. I can only hope the Avatar and us are in the same cycle, and that our fates meet again. But you heard the spirit, we are to head to Omashu… after lunch." Mitsu rubbed his hands. "I haven't tried your exploding buns in almost a decade!"

"Wait for it to cool, both of you! I am still the King! King of the _kitchen_, at least." Kuei raised his eyebrows and ran right for the kitchen, where the waft of smoke was coming from. It was a strange way to segue from a spiritual meeting to real life, but for once the Great Rock reverberated with the laughter of two men and a bear. Kuei had discovered the kitchen when fooling around with Bosco but had already ordered the pots and pans in neat rows with bread warm in the oven.

"Wow, that's impressive…where are those exploders?" Mitsu tried to hold himself back. A glint of gold caught his eye, although there was no golden cutlery in the kitchen to the best of his knowledge.

"Oh, I found this in a cupboard," Kuei picked up the golden tipped object, which had a red rim and a golden pin set in between. "It looks like a Fire Nation hairpiece, although I have no idea if the cook was a Fire Nation man. It looks really old, I thought it was a bottle opener or something!"

Mitsu took the headpiece out of his brother's hand and examined it closely. The gold was crafted to look like two flames pushing back while ornate characters were engraved on the pin, stuck through a round horizontal hole. It was solid but flexible, seemingly meant for a growing boy or girl of high rank.

"I'll look into this. You start making the exploders, now!" Mitsu pretended to slam his fist on the kitchen table before he waved his hand around and found the switch that led to the lower (formerly upper) levels of the library. Kuei shrugged and pulled some ashen bread out of the oven. Bosco leered blankly at his master, who moaned as he pulled out what looked like fresh flour.

"What are you looking at!?" Kuei raised an eyebrow. One drop of drool was all Bosco could muster.

Mitsu literally dived into the red-hued section of Fire Nation articles, a sole purple time crystal being his only light in a sea of darkness. The smell of buns wafted into the room as Kuei tried to dodge the flying books, but otherwise Mitsu had no distractions as he held up the hairpiece. It looked somewhat familiar to him, though the Fire Nation books he had were largely poetry, swordsmanship, royal lineage and forgotten techniques of the Fire Sages. Kuei dropped the tray besides his brother and ran back to the kitchen, hearing Bosco howl in pain from grabbing a too-hot bun too soon. Mitsu felt an overwhelming urge to tear through the books, but few had portraits let alone hairstyles. His half-dream was a hint that this thing was important, and he felt compelled to find out why for some unfathomable reason.

"You should know what that is," a female voice echoed through the chamber.

"Hey, who is that?" Mitsu extended his staff and held up the purple crystal. His force felt no other crystals in the vast catacomb, nor did it feel anyone was around. Yet there was some uneasy weight in the air around him, plus his eyes were glowing brighter than usual.

"That hairpiece once belonged to princes and princesses," the voice rumbled through the racks, "it was offered to me once by a prince, but not of my people."

"I know who you are now," Mitsu sat cross-legged on the floor. "Zhan Ming, honorable predecessor, I am honored to hear your voice."

"You have good rapport with the spirits, that is how you know me," the shape of a woman began to appear in the darkness. White robes were all around her, covering her except for her golden-backed amber eyes, while her face was still served by the room's darkness. "That hairpiece is the hairpiece of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and has been worn by few outside that family."

"Which includes you," Mitsu closed his eyes as Zhan approached him in the darkness, washing over him like a soft tide.

"Quite true, but more importantly the Avatar was gifted it once. It was Roku's prize possession until his very death. Like for me and Chao it was a symbol of friendship, but for Roku it was only a reminder of old days with old friends. Now the Fire People stand at a crossroads, and only the ones worthy of this headpiece will make that choice."

Two white wings of fire erupted from behind her as she said those words, but nothing seemed to be burning although the room was bathed in light; Mitsu kept his eyes shut but felt the intensity of the light.

"The Crown Prince? The old one …or the young one?" Mitsu saw images of Iroh and Zuko in his mind.

"It matters not but certainly not the woman," Zhan's wings wrapped around her, "they say it is a curse for a woman to wear it, but I did not listen. My poor Chao earned it after an Agni Kai he fought with his bare hands. I was lucky his people knew how to heal him," her voice began to break. "I almost threw it into the ocean and never wanted to go home, lest I burned my entire nation to ashes in my anger."

"The Fire Lord at the time was nothing like now, I bet."

"He forced his son to apologize for allowing a Water Tribesman to fight him in an Agni Kai and gratefully accepted the headpiece back after I offered it."

"You are the only Firebender to have ever left the Fire Nation to live with the Northern Water Tribe, and the only woman to have worn the Crown Prince's headpiece? You've done a lot, White Phoenix," Mitsu used her nickname at the time.

"If you want to know more, you will find our resting place on Ember Island. Chao is the only Water Tribesman to have ever been buried on Fire Nation soil as well, you know," she smiled but sighed afterward. "Kari's son was honorable enough to let us live there in peace. He was the one who rescued the headpiece from Roku's Island, you know."

"I know," Mitsu got up and bowed. He felt her warm hand rest on his shoulders, although they could have passed through if she pushed down. "Faithful friend to the end, even to a decaying dead body. Here I am, miles away from my own friends in this empty tower with my brother and his circus bear," he punched at the wall, remembering Aang and the others.

"This tower was practically your prison for six years. That is not how our people live, even Kari's son left his Air Temple to travel with, and ultimately bury Roku. You have to open your eyes and your heart… like one stubborn, angry Firebending girl who saw too little in too many people once upon a time, until she met someone who made sure she was never lonely or afraid again," she blushed slightly at the memory of her husband and sighed. Mitsu slowly opened his eyes as Zhan's form faded into the spirit world, the headpiece rolling around on the floor.

"You see, even the spirit world wants you to find a girlfriend," Kuei picked up the headpiece.

"You saw that?"

"Everything," Kuei grinned, "Seems we have an artifact here, but the Fire Lord hasn't been looking for it- you think he's forgotten about it?" Kuei pretended to plant it on his head.

"How did you see the White Phoenix?" Mitsu ignored his brother's deflection tactic.

"That chair kind of spoke to me back then, I tried it out while Bosco was boiling the pot. It's actually pretty user-friendly once you get the hang of it. Bun?" he tossed his brother a fresh muffin.

Mitsu caught the pastry and took a big chomp out of it. "You're taking this pretty leisurely, you know."

"I can't help it; _this_ is the pace of my life!" Kuei shrugged. "Since we're down here, maybe you could show me some maps? I'm curious as what the kingdom used to look like, plus we have to find Omashu soon. And err; Bosco wants to spread his legs outside."

Mitsu looked at his bespectacled, slightly scruffy looking brother and something in him stirred, leading him to wrap his arms tightly around the former Earth King in what seemed like a killer hug.

"Don't ever change, bro," Mitsu s eyes began to well up.

"I don't intend to, because I have no idea how to be anyone else," Kuei sounded as casual as he could. His brother just held him tightly and gripped the fabric of Kuei's shirt as he silently cried slow tears. Big brother Kuei was his sunshine, he used to say. That was what the other Heretics always sought for the most part; the solace of the still night, the heartening effect of a bright day, the calm desert sands or the serenity in a forest. Kuei gave a knowing nod to his brother as he returned the hug. All that running and only now they could actually express their relief of being together again; Kuei had no tears as a lifetime in the court of the king made sure he never wept unless the state called for it.


	19. Chapter 19 : Rockin' In New Ozai

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

Smoke filled the sky yet again in what people called New Ozai, after the Fire Lord whose armies conquered this sprawling city and installed a hopeless governor. Said governor was on his office balcony, calling for help as an explosion of the Fire Tank brigade's machine fuel left his office in rubble yet again. The Governor was relieved to hear that his wife and infant son were out shopping and missed the fireworks; a cog in his mind however turned, and he reasoned that the resistance had timed it to _avoid_ hurting anyone not in uniform. Men were running around dousing or redirecting fire with bending while chasing what looked like two men in dark outfits through the alleyways of the former Omashu.

"Colonel, we're almost there!" one of the men yelled in between gasps for air as they outran darts and arrows in the narrow city streets.

"Wong, stay close!" the other one used Earthbending to deflect the latest shower of arrows. "We're here!" He jumped and a hole appeared in the ground through which both of them leapt in. Before the Fire Nation troops could follow, the hole sealed up as if it was never made, save for a round cylinder that was making ever-smaller circles as it lapped the center of the hole.

"BOMB!" the men scrambled as the device blew the ones closest to it completely apart, leaving behind only two pairs of charred boots and plenty of messes for the road cleaner crew to pick up tomorrow morning. The governor cursed his appointment again, putting another notch on paper notice nailed to the wooden wall of what was now the last part of his office.

"That's fifty attacks since we took over this hell-hole," the governor fire bended the paper into ash and howled at passers by. "And why haven't we found that old dustbin of a man they called King?"

"I told you before, you should have stayed in the capital with our daughter, it would be fine," his wife arrived below the balcony.

"Nag, nag, nag," the governor made a duck motion with his hand, obviously aimed at his wife. "You're the one that pushed me to get this promotion!" he whelped as a brick fell just an inch shy of his left foot and through the tattered floor.

The two assailants felt the vibrations of their explosive endeavors and smiled. The former Earth Kingdom explosives expert known only as Mr. Wong followed the former military leader of the city into its vast network of sewage and mail tunnels, their voices soon lost to any who tried to follow. Even the Chan's Commandoes who were stationed in New Ozai had no idea how to follow them with Earthbending, as the tunnels were almost all man-made and linked to the city's structural foundation. Closing or shifting them would result in the city simply sliding off the hill that it stood on and major embarrassment for all. Wong and Long slid off the tube they had jumped into, greeted by four similarly dressed men who helped them up.

"The office is broken again," Wong bowed to the four.

"They've got the message, I'm sure of that," the colonel dusted himself off. "I just wish the King wouldn't tell us to be so darn _careful_. I couldn't care less if it was a Fire Nation pensioner or a Fire Nation prison warden."

"The Fire Lord is smart; he put civvies in here to make sure people wouldn't retaliate. Word is, half of' em don't even wanna be here. They're leaving in wagonloads and sneakin' off home in secret," Wong caught an apple thrown by one of the others.

"People leave, and people come in," one of the men shook a fist. "They're treating it like they built the place. If we don't step it up no one will remember the city is even in the Earth Kingdom!"

"I serve the King of Omashu, Lord of the South," Colonel Long put his hand on his breast, "He always waits, even if it's also wearing thin on me as well. I wish he would be a bit more impatient."

"He says the right moment will come eventually," Wong patted Long on the back. "I can feel it somehow, in the Earth." The group eventually disappeared in to the darkness as water surged up pipes to combat the fires they had started or helped to start.

As sun rose over the Great Rock, some 100 miles away the Earth trembled slightly as the man who called himself King of the region lifted himself onto the face of the monolith. The buzzards looked at him but then looked away from the rather lean offering he was (from a meat point of view). The other guy who lived there was long off the menu, at least when they could see him with several dead family members testament to that. The animal beside the king also looked dangerous, although at the moment it merely licked itself and yawned.

"It's not too early, even for you, Bosco," Kuei tipped his glasses and raised several columns of earth. The bear groaned and fell on its back, collapsing the ground and making an earth whirlpool with its bending.

"You are acting like the Avatar at times, you know," Mitsu hovered over them both and gave the buzzards a menacing look. "We are going to Omashu in two hours, and all you can do is play?"

"No, Ishi he's showing me a new technique, look!" Kuei pointed to the growing cloud of dust that was Bosco break dancing.

"All I see is that bear goofing around," Mitsu crossed his arms.

Bosco suddenly appeared about twenty feet in the air, howling as he spun uncontrollably down , landing on the two brothers with a thump. Behind him was a spiral of earth that had somehow collapsed into a whirlpool-like hole.

"Check that out, Bosco's Cannonball!" Kuei lifted the bear off him.

"With rocks to follow!" Mitsu batted away the earth that followed the bear's descent with his titanium rod. "I think it needs a bit of work, that one."

The bear laughed and shunted a boulder in the direction of the panicking buzzards who scattered, angrily cawing at them.

"The Sand Bender caravan is here," Mitsu shielded his eyes from the sun, spotting a peculiar pattern in the wind. After a few moments a troop of Ostrich Horses made their way towards the ruins of the town, several dusty robed men silently filing towards the place where the door to the great library once lay. Mitsu had earlier summoned them with a special flare, used only when the Rock was in great danger. The Sand Benders looked around and saw no danger at all in the morning sun, besides the usual risk of dehydration and the temptation of cactus juice.

"You have summoned us, Rock Warden?" the leader called out.

"Yes I have," Mitsu flew down to greet him. "We are seeking the town of Omashu, where the Fire Nation has set its feet upon our heads."

"'We' is too much for one man to say. Who else comes with you?"

"The King of the Earth under Heaven and his companion," Mitsu pointed to Kuei, who stood on the edge of the rock, tipping his feet like a boy on his first swim. Clearing his throat Mitsu said it louder, "THE KING OF EARTH UNDER HEAVEN!" Kuei straightened up and gave a nervous wave.

"We do not have much love for those in Ba Sing Se," the Sand Bender bowed his head. "But at least they oppose the Fire Nation, who raids us when they can find us. We are with you, Rock Warden. The King will have his transport to Omashu, as silent as possible."

Mitsu waved to his brother to come down, with Kuei and Bosco tumbling down the Great Rock in a mess of Earthbending and clumsiness. The Ostrich Horses pulled up, ignorant of the status of their riders.

"What happened to the glass bending?" Mitsu let his brother get up on his own.

"Master used to say that it was because I was always fragile. I guess I don't feel fragile at the moment," he shrugged. A panel opened and the Desert Warrior came out, Kuei pulling it with his Earthbending.

The Sand Benders gave them clothes and cloaks to disguise themselves as they went, though Omashu was not as far from the Rock as Ba Sing Se was, being an eastern city where the desert was its narrowest from the center. They arrived at the city limits in no fewer than three days, standing over the last dune before the desert gave way to plain rock and the City of Two Lovers, an ubiquitous hill with red banners and smoke wafting up into the sky.

"What happened there?" Kuei shielded his eyes.

"There is a resistance to the rule of Ozai here," the Sand Bender restrained his Ostrich Horse. "There have been explosions almost daily since Bumi was usurped. The people have largely left , but the resistance is bitter yet honorable."

"Thank you, desert lord," said Mitsu, using a common term of respect in the Song Yi. "I hope your Pasha is well, I have not heard from him since Ba Sing Se."

"Of that I cannot say, for he commands a different part of my tribe. I know this, young Warden; he does not surrender or submit easily even if he does not fight openly. Farewell, we cannot enter the city with you as they now demand passes and tolls we are loath to pay, yet require for our trade."

The Sand Benders left the Desert Warrior alone, its three occupants putting on Fire Nation uniforms and helmets. Kuei and Bosco rolled the vehicle slowly towards the gate of the city, ready for the slightest hint of trouble.

"The plan's working, I think," Kuei whispered to his brother as he pushed the vehicle forward with his feet.

"Infiltration is not what I like; I prefer to just barge in. Wearing these traitors' uniforms only makes it worse."

The guard at the gate held his hand out, looking through the driver's peephole at Mitsu, whose helmet had a slight dint.

"What company are you from? What's with that guy in the back?" he pointed at Bosco.

"We're a detachment of commandoes under Admiral Chan, we are Earthbenders. That guy is just a little too big for this kind of thing, but the captain wanted him on the team."

"What are you doing away from your squad?"

"We're scouts," Kuei looked out his port. "We're looking for fugitives from Ba Sing Se."

"They couldn't have gotten this far," the guard fingered his spear. His uniform indicated that he was not a Firebender, but one couldn't tell these days with all the sub-factions within that proud army. "So what, you guys are lost or something? And where's your Firebender?"

"As you can see, we encountered some pretty good Earthbenders back there," Kuei tapped the damage on the Desert Warrior. "They got him!" Kuei looked away from the guard crying mock tears.

"Stop crying, you sissy. You can park your vehicle in the bays where the Earth Kingdom Army used to keep their Ostrich Horses. They let them out after the Pentapox outbreak!" the guard gripped his face with his palm, making a funny face. "And take a shower, you in the back! You stink like buzzard poop!"

The guard gave a signal to a man up on the battlements, and soon the gate groaned open, Fire Nation men heaving and grunting where Earthbenders would simply wave a hand. Kuei and Bosco looked at each other and grinned, doing just that and sending twelve men face first into the wall.

"Damn those commandoes!" one of them wailed as he looked at his crumpled helmet. "They think they're the elite or something?"

The city was not like Ba Sing Se at all, or even as Kuei remembered it. The buildings were roughly the same size, the only thing separating them being their placement on the hill. There was a palace up on the side of the hill emblazoned with Fire Nation graffiti and its trademark red flags. What caught Mitsu and Kuei' s eye were several burnt out buildings and pockmarked roads, as well as rocks that were sticking out of roofs and towers. Two soldiers called out to the Desert Warrior, pointing to the 'garage' in a corner of the city. A few children ran past them, curious as to the ATV's presence in the town. There was little sign of anyone apart from Fire Nation soldiery and the odd civilian, nothing like the Omashu of old which was made famous for its chute delivery system and laughing children. According to rumor, the whole town would play a prank on a guest if the King allowed it.

"Looks dead quiet," Kuei looked out the side port.

"Looks _dead_," Mitsu looked straight ahead as a soldier directed them to turn into a bay seemingly converted for vehicles like the Desert Warrior type. There were indeed two or three other ATVs in the bay, though there was no sign of more Commandoes meant to drive them.

"Hey, welcome to New Ozai," the guiding soldier made the fist in palm salute. "I'm Private Lee, I have been ordered to take you to your lodgings…or the hospital? What happened to that guy?" Lee looked at the heavily disguised Bosco.

"He's a specially trained animal," Mitsu unveiled Bosco's terrified face. "Admiral Chan's personal project. We took him out for a spin with the company and now he's scared as sand paper." Mitsu laughed and put the mask back on Bosco.

"Some project, eh?" Lee pretended to leap at the bear and laughed as well. "That guy, he's always doing weird things."

"Like what?" Kuei held Bosco's hand as they walked towards the barracks.

"Projects, I mean. No offence, but at least you guys are _actual _soldiers. That guy's been using machines like that desert rider there, the air ships, that big drill that attacked Ba Sing Se back then, and who knows what. The Governor is not really welcoming of him here. But what does he know, he's a civvie politician!" Lee opened the door to the barracks and pointed to three beds, two of them being in a bunk. Lee then saluted and closed the door.

"I call bottom!" Kuei leapt towards the beds. Bosco leapt for the top bunk but found himself floating through the air and dropped on the lone bed.

"No pets in bed," Mitsu grinned, laying on the thin mattress as he floated over it.

"What now? Are we still on track?" Kuei looked at the pouting Bosco, who overflowed his bed by two feet.

"We have to find the resistance. I need you two to listen to the earth; they should be underneath us by quite some distance."

"How do you know that?" Kuei took off his spectacles.

"From what I know and from what Aang told me, Bumi and his ancestors kept a network of tunnels down there for all sorts of reasons from mail to plumbing to just plain amusement. Now I need you to listen to the earth while I fish for information from the local yokels. We start tomorrow, we should rest for now. Start practicing listening to the earth."

"Okay, I guess," Kuei lay quietly in his bed, letting his mind wander as he began to sink into sleep. As his eyes closed he felt his skin tingle underneath his clothes, waves washing over him. The frame of the bed soon came to him, a soft red shape with Mitsu' s outline showing, though his face was not clear to Kuei. As he relaxed Bosco's bed came up in 'view', washing over his huge frame including his bones. More came to him as the building's foundations came into his consciousness, a huge red structure. It was much unlike the Dream Chair, where a large chunk was seemingly dropped onto his brain. This took much less effort, although Kuei did not understand some of the things he saw. His vision deepened to the first level of the basement, where Fire Nation troops performed martial arts drills and repaired their weapons. The Earth hummed beneath him, willing him to look deeper.

Kuei dropped his foot onto the ground and his 'sight' increased in potency, covering more pipes and tunnels dotted with rats and spider bats. It suddenly became too much for him and he dropped to sleep. Before he finally slipped away, he could have sworn he felt something else…

"Ah, so someone else has mastered that too," a smile appeared in the darkness.


	20. Chapter 20 : The Right Moment

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

**Note 2: Forgive me for the long chapter! There was a lot I wanted to write at this time...**

The morning was harsh; as Omashu was on red alert given the wave of bombings and terrorist actions. Men were running to their posts as if an attack was going on at that very moment, but that was the norm in "New Ozai" these days. Mitsu and Kuei opened their doors, bleary eyed and cursing as the soldiers ran in the corridor like truant schoolchildren.

"Hey, you two get into uniform! The Governor is staging an inspection! Tell that fat guy in there to wake up and shave! Good god, he _needs_ to hit the blades and the shower!" the sergeant held his nose.

"Bosco, wake up!" Kuei kicked at his best friend. "Mitsu, go out now! The soldiers aren't expecting us, now they're in the yard so you can go free."

Mitsu nodded and opened their window, dropping down onto the street below. True enough, Fire Nation soldiers were running towards the central courtyard together with some others, answering a ringing bell the resounded over the town. Some eyed him over, but the lack of uniform and the urgency of the bell rushed things, making them virtually ignore the stranger. Mitsu noticed that there were few civilians in the city who were Earth Kingdom people, with many red-hued banners over the doors of emptied houses filled with tell tale Fire Nation furniture. In peacetime, the rivalry between Fire and Earth was in industry; both powerful and prosperous nations were dominant in producing things, furniture more than anything else being fiercely contested. Mitsu remembered reading a copy of Avatar Yang Chen's journal saying that she had to act as a judge between two 'warring' companies, hosting a contest in Omashu itself which ended up becoming an expo and selling war. The Water and Air tribes didn't even bother to show up, while a section of the Southern Water Tribe came but left for what was now the Foggy Swamp.

Omashu owed its prominence to a very efficient delivery system of virtually anything within the city as well as without. Its citizens always reminded those in Ba Sing Se that the Monorail was invented by an Omashu architect, and that Omashu was indeed the elder city. While Ba Sing Se had a few lines connecting through the city, Omashu had hundreds, some mere mine shafts. Mitsu walked through laundry lines and seemingly abandoned schoolyards.

"Nothing," he noted, "where is anyone?" he flicked at a paper windmill on the wall. "Did they kill everyone?"

The ground suddenly shook and gave way, closing up in front of him with almost no sign. Mitsu tried flying out, but a rock pushed him down into a deep, lightless hole harder than he could push back, while he flailed helplessly for his rod, which tumbled alongside him. He felt pulled harder than gravity normally would, with dust cutting his skin as he fell. His voice seemed to echo in the tunnels, an ever deepening chasm that darkened the further he fell. He hit the floor hard, but felt it melt away slowly to soften the impact. A single shaft of light was all he had for light, though he couldn't get past pain in his knee to get up and fly. He fumbled around for his rod and found it lodged in a crevice. The sound of insects and rumbling of earth was all around him, but he was virtually blind otherwise.

"What the hell was that?" Mitsu propped himself on his staff. He barely saw a rock flying at him, batting it away but falling down in the process. Footfalls could be heard, but they were hardly different from that of subterranean animals. Rocks fell on his side and between his knees, pinning him down. The footfalls got louder, now accompanied by a war chant. Metal rings clashed as armored men marched down the hall, one other person in green robes holding his hand out and obviously pinning Mitsu down with Earthbending. The first voice he heard wasn't of the young robed man but of an older man behind the army.

"Who is that now, Master Jing?" the voice seemed to grumble.

"Looks like an outsider, my lord," the robed man's voice rasped like a snake as he held Mitsu down.

"Now, now … he doesn't look like a Fire Nation man, plus he came with another person who also didn't look like a Fire Nation person… too skinny."

"They came in one of those traitor vehicles," an older man wielding a giant halberd hissed. "They must be those collaborators from the colonies," he noticed Mitsu's outfit.

"I don't think so, Colonel," the old voice coughed. "He's not an Earthbender, believe me I can tell. I'm surprised Master Jin can't."

"Then what?" Jing lifted the rocks off Mitsu. "You're not that weird professor from Ba Sing Se, are you?"

"Ba Sing Se has fallen," Mitsu said to gasps and whispers. "None of you know who I am, except perhaps that old man back there. You used to visit us a lot, King Bumi of Omashu."

"I know your eyes, but not the feet that touched the earth the other day. Have you the Earthbending teacher the Avatar was searching for?" the sound of wheels cranking became evident. "For the King's sake, we're not _Light Benders_, someone light some crystals please!"

Mitsu rubbed his eyes as yellow and white crystals appeared, bathing the entire hallway in white light, almost like sunlight. He saw a monolith of a man in front of him, the unmistakable face of Bumi seemingly plastered in front of a metal coffin that had earth around him.

"What happened to you, your majesty?" Mitsu still propped himself up. "How are you Earthbending?"

"I'm well over one hundred years into bending; I guess it came with the certificate!" Bumi laughed alone, with his army looking side to side.

"About your question, I'm afraid that I don't have Toph Bei Fong with me. I have my brother and his bear," Mitsu tapped the metal coffin.

"What's a bear?" Jing and Colonel Long looked at each other and shrugged.

"I should get you out of here," Mitsu felt the cold coffin with his fingers.

"We've tried," Jing exhaled, "No amount of rock will break this, nor will fire or crystal." He floated a rock and it merely clanged on the metal box.

Mitsu pulled back his left fist and swung it at the coffin, punching a huge dent in it to the amazement of the men and the Master.

"Careful, this body still works!" Bumi said, but with a smile. Mitsu swung again with his right and made another dent. He stepped back and made a motion of pulling a door apart, the metal creaking as it was stressed sideways. An earthen column came up and helped with the pounding, but Mitsu waved the King's effort away and chopped the air, ripping a line right down the center of the coffin below Bumi' s beard and repeating the sliding door opening motion. The metal was incredibly resistant, but Mitsu knew metal like no other and soon Bumi's muscular chest was in view, with the king laughing to himself. A rock column popped up beneath his legs and pushed the coffin apart, revealing the colossus that was the King of Omashu. He flexed his biceps but coughed immediately after. His former prison was now a warped, cloven version of itself, torn apart on the floor.

"That…is amazing! Are you some kind of metal bender?" Jing dusted off his king.

"Force Bender," Mitsu leaned on the wall as a medic attended to his knee.

"Never heard of it," the Colonel crossed his arms.

"Whatever it is, I knew waiting for this moment was the right choice," Bumi hunched beside his military commander. "We will finally take this city back, now that the Fire Nation has sent two of its garrisons here. They won't see us coming and we can decapitate them now. Had we fought earlier those armies would only be standing on our corpses. Now they are in a false sense of security and we are joined by Prince Mitsu Ishihara of Ba Sing Se…and a bear!"

"Prince…?" The Master and the men looked at each other, and then suddenly bent down on one knee. No one knew what a bear was, but a prince of Ba Sing Se would command their respect at least.

They left the tunnel immediately afterwards, Bumi stretching his old legs as he stalked beside Mitsu and his generals while the army shuffled behind them in file.

"I was beginning to lose the feeling in these old things," the aged Earthbender shook his legs. "No one's been able to free me before, even though I've been able to bend through it."

"Toph would be amazed, though I suspect not by much."

"Tell me about this Toph Bei Fong; is she some sort of Earthbending prodigy? I wasn't even aware the Bei Fong family even had children," the Master caught up to them as they marched through a well-lit tunnel filled with bowing men and women, as well as Pentapuses squirming all over the walls. Some had purple patches on the skin; this was but a harmless, temporary side effect of the Pentapus attaching itself to the skin and what ultimately allowed the people to leave the city in broad daylight.

"She is not a prodigy, she is a master. You haven't heard of her, but have you heard of the Blind Bandit? One and the same."

The Master froze and his cheeks went red, while he scratched his head.

"You know the Blind Bandit?" The colonel wondered what happened to his friend.

"She … knocked me out in ten seconds. Flat on my back before I could even do a stance," the master nervously covered his face. The Green Mamba only managed to mambo for one season before being fired.

"She hears the earth, being blind. Aang picked a good teacher," Bumi nodded. "But your brother Kuei was the one I made contact with last night?" Bumi touched the earth above his head. "I didn't even know he was an Earthbender, let alone one that could hear the earth."

"He's self taught…or at least not taught by people, like Toph. His bear taught him, it seems. Plus he's used the Dream Chair."

Bumi halted with the rest of his army almost crashing into him. "I am amazed today than I've been in a while! I feel like a new old man! Get it, new old man?" Bumi tugged at Mitsu's sleeve and cackled. No one laughed again; Mitsu had a feeling that Sokka would, but no one else.

"He's standing in the yard of my palace, I can feel him," Bumi looked up at the ceiling. "I hope he can take care of himself. Now that you're here, we are poised to take Omashu back and remove the Fire Nation from the South of the country. Everything is in place, I'm assured, Colonel?"

The colonel ran up to his king and bowed, "Yes, my king. The Badger Mole messengers have brought news from Chin, Kyoshi, the southern garrison, the islanders and the Pasha of the Great Sand Tribes. We stand ready now."

Mitsu's heart leapt at the mention of the Pasha's name, although he knew it was a title shared by many people in the desert.

"Mehmet barely escaped Ba Sing Se himself," Bumi led them into a torch-lit chamber where he Earthbended a chair for himself. "He's eager for revenge, just like most of these people. They're expecting big things from me and are impatient, Prince Mitsu. We strike soon now that the true Earth King walks among us."

Mitsu looked up at the lighted ceiling. Kuei! He was still up there, facing review with Bosco!

The captain was loud, but his sergeant was louder in salute as the governor came out through the passage that connected his residence and the training yard. Kuei felt like a nail in a box of pegs as he stood in his stolen Chan's Commando uniform alongside fire nation regulars. The captain looked the men over, pulling at low belts and streamlining creases like a cross nanny. The Governor, a man in his fifties from the looks of it, pulled at his beard as he gamely followed the captain, pretending to look over the troops but in fact having no idea of the difference between a grunt and a grunting civilian.

"Damn politicians," the man next to Kuei grumbled. "He thinks he's in charge of the joint, but he can't push anything but paper."

"How did he get here?" Kuei whispered back. "This is like, in the middle of nowhere."

The man eyed Kuei quickly but looked forwards quickly. "Kissed ass, brown nosed, kept his kids quiet… you know how."

"Oh yes, I do…" Kuei knew Earth Kingdom bureaucrats were no different. Long Feng usually appointed the governors to please himself and his big ego, only in the name of the king. Politicians were no different, he guessed, no matter where they worked.

"You," the governor of New Ozai looked the green-scarfed Kuei over. "You're not from here, are you?"

"Yes sir, I'm with the commandoes."

"You're in luck, your commander is coming," the captain looked him over. "I see they lowered the eyesight requirement, Earthbender." He tapped Kuei's glasses. "You were supposed to be a party of three- where are the other two?"

"Um… my co-driver and the other guy are in town. We have orders to fetch some local items for the commander when he arrives…" Kuei looked around for the escape he knew he couldn't pull off with so many Fire Nation troops around him. The governor looked him over again, noticing his odd, scrawny figure.

"I haven't seen you before," the old man stroked his beard, "are you really one of Chan's men?"

"Yes I am, sir."

"Are you a loyal Earthbender?"

"Yes," Kuei found irony in the answer. He lifted a rock and dropped it beside the governor's feet, smiling as the politician leapt back in horror.

"Loyal to the end," he almost laughed out loud.

"I don't trust traitors, even the ones that work for us!" the governor looked the Earth King square in the eye before going off to see the rest of the men. "Keep that one and his kind out of my sight, Captain."

"Yes sir… admiral butthole!" The captain whispered the second part, with a knowing wink to Kuei. It seemed like no one really liked him, although he hadn't really done much to or for them. Someone coming from Ozai himself should have more bearing in the city, but a lot of these troops had been in campaign for nearly five years and hadn't even seen the Fire Nation. Their commanders were their kings and their captains their lords. Their banner was also slightly different, in that the flame logo of the Fire Nation was accompanied by a hammer and a sword. Thus was the banner of the men of New Ozai, red and white in the wind where the green of Bumi once fluttered.

"Alright men, the governor has an announcement to make!" the captain spoke through a horn so that everyone could hear. The red robed man climbed a small platform and coughed slightly before opening a parchment that had the unmistakable seal of the Fire Lord himself.

"Men and women of New Ozai, I bring news from home. The Fire Sages have determined that the Day of the Black Sun is nearly upon us and that we must be extra vigilant for that day, as Firebending will be negated and we will be vulnerable. There is also news of an attack planned by the remnants of that Southern Water rabble as well as those of the Earth Kingdom on that day. Therefore his high majesty the Fire Lord Ozai son of Azulon declares that half the troops in this city are to mobilize for home in the airships as soon as the winds permit."

"Half the garrison? But we'll be defenseless as well!" a captain leapt forward.

"No we will not, Captain," the Governor crossed his arms. "We will have half the garrison still here, plus we are being reinforced by local platoons, Rhino teams and the Commandoes, if Admiral Chan is willing."

"That's still not enough!" the captain shook his fist. "The whole army of Omashu is missing; we could be killed in eight minutes!"

"The army of the Fire Nation is not merely trained to firebend, Captain," the governor's tone became harder. "I'm sure you can find a way to delay them from reaching my residence and repel them." The old man lifted his chin and walked off the stage with his retinue, leaving the captain tightening his fist.

"You heard the man, platoons one through five, get ready to move out!" he launched a fireball into the sky. "As for you, Mr. Commando, back to quarters, and fetch those other two, I want to see them ASAP, understand?" he pointed his ironclad hand towards Kuei.

"Yes sir!" Kuei tried to hide his sweat of fear. He tapped his foot on the ground and felt the contours of the ground until he noticed Bosco's faint outline in the bathroom of their quarters. If Mitsu was to swoop in and rescue them again, it had to be soon. A horn sounded at the city's western gate with the clanking of machinery apparent.

"There's no time, the commandoes are here!" he ran towards the barracks and charged through the door past other men carrying boxes and other provisions for their sudden redeployment. Kuei spotted a few commandoes step out of their ATVs through a window, carrying water skins and notched swords.

"Mitsu…you better get here…!" he tip toed into his room.

The Swamp Benders were probably the oddest group of people one would invite to an invasion force, especially given the heavily armed and armored troops from the Water and Earth tribes. Sokka was the one who recommended them, as the Northern Waterbenders had gone to the poles for rebuilding and were unavailable. They also reminded him of Yue, someone he did not want to think about at this time despite the Moon being high up in the morning sky. The Duke and Pipsqueak trotted around the makeshift docks , looking over the strange swamp folk in their leaf hats and grass shorts.

"Say To! What's that, a Water Tribe bug cooker?" Due, the skinner of the two pointed to what was obviously an Earth Kingdom rowboat.

"I think that's a boat, Due."

"Look at that one, Pip! He's got no shirt on and he smells like a set of used pants!"

"Shirts are an illusion and so is death," Huu, chief of he Swamp Tribe bowed as seaweed trailed down his back, lazily slipping onto the dock.

"Is this all the people you need?" Hakoda scratched his head at his strange cousins from the Foggy Swamp.

"No, but they'll have to do," Sokka looked over the horizon as Aang glided in on his new, blue, bat-like glider.

"No word from Mitsu or Kuei?" Aang landed next to the two Water Tribe warriors.

"None, last time his Messenger Hawk came it said he had crossed the Serpent's Pass and was headed to the Great Rock, wherever that is."

Aang looked towards the rising sun. "He's keeping the Earth King safe, at least. That's given the men here a morale boost. We sunk that place so far underground, no one will get to the King."

"Speak of the devil, here comes his hawk," Hakoda held out his arm as the messenger bird clasped it with his claws, a message tied behind its back. Hakoda opened it and looked over the flowing characters, tipped with an unfamiliar seal.

"Who wrote this?" he handed it over to his son and the Avatar.

_Friends of air, water and earth,_ Aang began to read. _News is that you are planning an invasion on the day when the Moon blocks the Sun. I am no going to warn you against it, but I advise caution as our friend has not yet mastered the element of fire! Be careful of treachery and foul play, as that's how Ozai works!_

"Bumi! I thought I'd recognize his writing!" Aang beamed with joy, but read on.

_I'm fine here in MY (say that loudly) city, watching those red rats from the Fire Nation walk on MY streets. Your friend with the heavy staff and his brother are here, and hopefully we'll be celebrating the liberation of everyone pretty soon, eh? I'm looking forward to see you and your Sifu do some Earthbending moves! I hope I live long enough to see you again!_

The characters changed in form slightly, and Sokka took over reading the scroll.

_My friends, as the King has told you I am now in the place we called The Other City when we were children. We are also planning our liberation soon, although I fear for Kuei, who is stuck in the garrison in disguise. I cannot join you as we are too close to liberating the city, but I will hasten to your side as soon as all is said and done. Give Sokka, Toph and Katara my love and best wishes, we will meet again soon, I swear. –Mitsu Ishihara, Prince of Ba Sing Se and Warden of the Great Rock. _

_P.S: Do not return this bird, consider it yours now, Sokka. We are being watched even though you are not._

"I really wanted him to be here," Sokka took the Hawk from his father. "But we've got enough Earthbenders to compensate, I hope."

"Those men are remnant troops, I heard there were other fortresses holding out elsewhere," Hakoda looked over a small map of the Earth Kingdom.

"We'll have to make do," Aang put his hand on Hakoda's shoulder. "Right now we have to gather everyone for tomorrow's strategy meeting. The invasion is in one week."

"Right now you need some sleep, Aang," Sokka pointed to the bags underneath his eyes.

"I can't! I keep getting these nightmares about the Fire Lord!" he pulled his eyelid open.

Toph came down some self-made stairs and punched Aang in the arm. "Come on, twinkle toes, get some rest, we're going to have action soon!"

"He's not coming," Sokka looked at her. Toph's expression changed into a frown and she sighed.

"I kinda thought he wouldn't," she twiddled her thumbs. "Who could blame him?"

"Hey, cousin!" To waved to Sokka. "We brought ya some grub you might like," he pulled out a creeper bug, still alive and still wiggling.

"Um…can you lead the invasion for a while?" Sokka ran up Toph's stairs as fast as possible.

"Hey, wait for me!" she reached for him but felt his footsteps fade into the cliff up top. Two pairs of heavier footsteps walked up to her, one a massive pair of legs that caused their own ripples in her vision. She recognized them immediately.

"The Boulder and the Hippo greet you, Blind Bandit!" the narcissist flexed his muscles underneath his grey cloak as the Hippo raised Toph to his shoulder height, blinding her but at the same time delighting her.

"Up for a rematch?"

"The Boulder and the Hippo no longer fight for people's fun and games. Now we fight for the Kingdom and the People!" the wrestler drawled and soaked himself in imaginary applause .

"Cool. Where are the others?" Toph asked as the Hippo put her down.

"The Fire Nation Man and a couple of others decided to fight in their own rings, probably Omashu!" the Boulder crossed his bulky arms. "We don't follow that ringmaster anymore. Not after he double crossed us all and forced us to kidnap you."

Toph let out a little giggle, which turned into her trademark laughter soon afterwards. The wrestlers joined her walking up the stairs, the Hippo hosing both her and the Duke on his massive blubbery shoulders.

_Meanwhile, several feet underground in Omashu…_

"I don't believe it… Earth Rumble participants? One with a Fire Nation emblem, no less!" Mitsu was rolling on the ground in laughter.

"That's not funny, sir," the so called Fire Nation Man meekly spoke, clutching his cape.

"You're supposed to be _tough_, rumble tough!" Mitsu puffed his chest and sauntered around. You're Bumi's secret weapons?"

The Fire Nation Man and three others looked at each other and proceeded to slam Mitsu between four moving columns of earth, right in the middle of his mock pirouette.

"Okay, I guess the old man has a point…," he saw stars as the rocks unclamped him.

"We _are_ Earthbenders trained to fight, you know," another wrestler crossed his arms.

"I always wanted to know, were those matches, you know…rigged?"

"Well…"

The Fire Nation Man was interrupted by Master Jing, who pulled at Mitsu's arm.

"We have to proceed _now_. Our spies say that the Commandoes have checked in- your brother is in great danger, even though word is the Governor has ordered half the garrison to go back to the Fire Nation!"

"Aang, Sokka and the others…they're headed for a trap!" Mitsu got up off the floor. "All of you get ready to go up top! We have to stop those reinforcements!"

"King Bumi stands ready at the hidden gates to the center of the palace. We issue from there in exactly three hours, Prince Mitsu. You must find your brother and head east over the crescent of the world, and save the Avatar. We are capable of ending this occupation ourselves."

Mitsu bowed to Master Jing and ran towards the place where Omashu's army was gathering, the elderly king at the forefront, bending a tunnel upwards with a mere stroke of his finger. Experience of over one hundred years showed as the muscular king tore through the ground with his fists and fingernails with the ease of an old Badger Mole. Mitsu sent out a prayer to his brother and watched more Earthbenders move the Earth in one smooth motion and one stance at a time. The army of Omashu was largely intact, unlike the forces in Ba Sing Se and elsewhere, and was drawn exclusively from locals and natives. Jing led the movements of their arms and legs, cutting through the ground with ease and smoothness, as if he was cutting through it with a fruit knife. This style, which Mitsu came to know as the Omashu style was wholly independent of generally practiced 'soft' and 'hard' styles as used by other people or the Dai Li. Jing and his troops resembled Waterbenders more than anything in their motions, although they also rotated their wrists and remained rooted to the ground. Bumi alone used his powerful earth shattering technique, his shoulders and fists now ripping through the ground in the vanguard of the invasion. His muscles rippled as he tore through the rock with unfathomable ease.

Men up top felt a soft set of tremors, but the Fire Nation troops continued to load up their balloons and war supplies. The fifty or so Commandoes, however being Earthbenders knew something was up, and accompanied the Fire Officials while keeping their ears to the ground and their feet on the ground. Kuei hid behind some water barrels as two of them passed him and Bosco, now squirming behind his master, fear in its eyes.

"It looks like it's just us, buddy," Kuei peeked over the barrels.

The bear moaned and hid underneath his paws, Earthbending a hole for his head.

"Come on, you were brave in the desert! Wait…" Kuei focused his Earthbending down and felt the movements underground. "They're coming! Brace yourself!"

Tunnels of earth popped up all over the city with the Fire Nation Men caught scattered by sudden gaps appearing in the ground, or by flailing rock from the emerging Earthbenders.

"We're under attack!" a captain hollered before a sharpened earth spike penetrated his leg. He collapsed right in front of Kuei, who kicked the man onto his face and formed an earth platform to travel upwards. Bosco wailed and haphazardly launched a platform of his own, hurling him two blocks away over the battlefield. Just as the bear landed on his four paws, he found the ground rising along with him, sending the bear tumbling into an alley. Out came the King of Omashu along with the Prince of Ba Sing Se, backed by hundreds of angry men. Bumi threw his cloak aside and Earthbended a whole building onto an oncoming troop of Fire Nation benders, with Mitsu forcing the entire mass of men and stone into another bigger pile.

A roar of wheels could be heard in the distance as Chan's Commandoes came in to fight their fellow Earthbenders, but they were few compared to the Omashu army and found themselves trapped in their vehicles, unable to bend their way out. Their Fire Nation allies were making a stand on the reinforced public buildings and the royal palace, sounding desperate horns and launching flares in broad daylight. Jing elegantly danced through the streets, cutting down soldier after soldier with his bending, a single piece of sharpened rock his only weapon.

The only true holdout was the north part of the palace, where the Fire Nation had installed new crossbow turrets and stationed their best benders. Kuei was lost in the melee and missed punches or arrows launched in anger as the battle pushed the occupiers to their last stand. He continued to yell his bear's name as projectiles swung overhead, blocked only by his last minute Earthbending. Few of the Omashu army even recognized him, pushing him aside to fight and mistaking him for a stray commoner. Bumi and Mitsu were in the city's southern corridors, leaving the Earth King seemingly trapped between an army he hated and an army he didn't know.

"Bosco!" he cried out as fireballs began to find their way into the growing pit of combatants.

"They've got catapults!" a soldier yelled, diving beneath an archway that collided with the burning rock, leaving a giant cloud of dust.

Kuei remembered his brother's words and closed his eyes, putting his hands and exposed knees (torn from the fighting) on the ground. A blue wave washed over the ground, with many feet slamming onto the earth like it was a pool, with infinite ripples in the ground. Out of all the stepping, jumping people he managed to notice a small pair of rounded feet being surrounded by six pairs of smaller feet.

"Bosco!" he instinctively punched upwards. The six pairs disappeared, with their owners landing on nearby roofs with broken pelvises. "Wow, how did I do that?"

"Look out!" an Earth soldier yelled as Kuei turned left to see a giant fireball falling towards him. Something in him took over and he put the tips of his hands together like a scoop and pushed them upwards. The fireball's earthen core crackled and made a strange hissing sound, before slamming into the Earth King. Fire and Earth troops alike stopped for a moment to see what had happened behind the giant cloud of dust and ash that formed from the impact. What they got was a solid statue of the Earth King in his pose, his face with a twisted mix of fear and satisfaction.

"Kuei!" Mitsu dropped the soldiers he was carrying and went to his seemingly petrified brother. "Kuei!" he cried out as he knocked on the statue.

"What happened here!?" Long overturned an ATV and raised a rock wall to shield the princes. "He's…turned into rock!" Mitsu had his hands on his head. "Is that even possible in Earthbending?" he knocked on the stone.

"I can hear something!" Long put his ear to the statue. It was a small vibration but roughly came from the area of the statue's mouth. He raised his war hammer , but Mitsu grabbed his wrist, eyebrow raised.

"What if he _is_ stone?" Mitsu tapped his brother's head.

"Shut up and get me out of here!" Kuei's stone lips seemed to murmur. The Colonel shrugged off Mitsu's arm and slammed his hammer into the stone. A crack soon appeared, which grew to a river of cracks and then fully shattering to reveal a living, breathing organic Kuei who sighed in relief.

"I'm _not_ doing that again!" he waved to the oncoming Bosco, who was pushing entire platoons of Fire Nation troops aside to tend to his master.

"Shin, that was crazy!" Mitsu shook his brother by the shoulder. "What the hell was that you just did?"

"I _think_ I pulled some of the ash from the fireball and wrapped myself in it, so the fireball would only be flame. Since the ash itself didn't burn, I guessed it'd be the ultimate flame-proof armor. But it's so sticky!" he dusted himself off.

"In the name of the Earth King!" Long vaulted a boulder onto a rampart as he charged forward around his earthen wall.

"In _my _name? You are all fighting in my name?" Kuei pointed to himself.

"Well, he should be fighting in _my _name, young man. But I guess I frustrated him too much! That was a great move just now, I never would have thought of that one!" Kuei felt Bumi's large wrinkly arms clasp his shoulder. There was a bandage on the Omashu King's forehead but otherwise he was still battle-ready, the crazy look on his face remaining constant.

"You can have the kingdom, it's not like I did anything good on the throne!" Kuei deflected a giant crossbow bolt with deceptive ease, using the earthen wall.

"Nonsense, I have enough trouble with this city!" Bumi yanked two Firebenders off a prone trooper with an earth wave and flung them over the fortress wall. "You can't redeem your family if you suddenly have nothing to redeem!"

"Let Mitsu redeem us! All I ever wanted to be was to be in peace with Bosco and…I don't know, just to be in peace!"

Bumi raised an even larger earthen wall around himself and Kuei, pointing to the young king's face.

"Listen here, _boy_. Everyone out here, in every damn kingdom wants to be in peace. Even the Avatar, my best friend wants to be in peace and just ride chutes all day here! But we're the Kings of the land, and by the Earth, we're going to do our job! There is a _war_ going on, and I've waited many moons for this to happen!" Bumi was rarely angry, but Kuei could feel the rage in his eyes as well as the rapid frequency of his Earthbending, which radiated a powerful green. Yet his eyes softened as he put his hand on the Earth King's shoulder. "I waited 100 years for Aang to come back, and he did. Your line needs to come back as well, as rulers this time. I can wait a bit longer for that. But first…" Bumi gave Kuei a knowing look and they both launched the stone hut into the wall. The battle was still raging around them, but a new set of horns sounded that filled the raiders with gloom.

"It's Chan himself! We're saved!" a Fire Nation herald howled over the battlements. Admiral Chan, riding a Rough Rhino tore through the ranks of friend and foe with his green fire blasting anyone who came too close. The governor cheered on him from the innermost tower, at least before his wife pulled him back inside just in time to avoid a stray fire bolt. ATVs and wave-riding commandoes came through the unmanned western gate, a mass of Earth coming right at Bumi's army.

"We meet again, you accursed heretic!" Chan's halberd clashed with Mitsu's heavy staff.

"I'll be sure to kill you for real this time!" Mitsu swung and missed the admiral's head, snapping his saddle and sending his rhino into a mad frenzy. The Omashu army, already exhausted from fighting the Fire Nation, had to contend with more rogue Earthbenders tearing through their ranks. Some bore back into the Earth while others found refuge underneath wrecked buildings. The Commandoes knew how to fight without stopping and were slowly cutting down Jing's flank without so much as a scratch on their armor.

Mitsu and Chan dueled alone in the middle of the packed field, the admiral's halberd proving surprisingly equal to Mitsu' s titanium staff, as well as in skill to the Force Bender.

"Give up! I've sent hawks to the reinforcements, they are turning back to finish you once and for all!"

"I think you're finished, admiral!" Mitsu force bent the larger man into the ground. Chan felt his ankles snap and soon his shoulders were beginning to throb in pain.

"What are you doing, you are cheating!" Chan tried to move his halberd but dropped it in pain, his shoulders beginning to separate from his body. Mitsu's staff was planted in the ground, his hands pointed at the admiral like he was parting a wall.

"Surrender, Admiral. Surrender before I surrender your body parts to the Governor."

"Shut up! The servants of the Fire Lord never surrender! I will never surrender! We will fight on in the name of Ozai! Long live Ozai! Long live….."

"WE SURRENDER!" the Governor was hanging over the balcony, Long and Bosco having raised him on an earthen pillar. "DAMN YOU ALL, WE SURRENDER! EVERYONE SURRENDER!" A glint of tears was in his eyes as the Fire Nation Governor wailed from the dizzy heights.

"Don't surrender!" Chan felt the pain return to his arms. Steam came out of his nose, although he did not have Iroh's skill in breathing fire.

"Bosco's up there?" Kuei waved to his bear companion.

"He's smarter than you think he is," Bumi shielded his eyes. "Mehmet was thinking well ahead when he gifted that bear cub to you."

"You heard the Governor, all of you, SURRENDER!" Mitsu slammed his staff into the ground, sending shockwaves all over the city. "There needs to be no more blood shed today!"

The Fire Nation troops dropped their swords and stances, while the commandoes looked helplessly at their leader and either fled or joined their colleagues with their arms over their heads. Dead birds also started falling out of the sky, unread messages still tied to their backs. Buzzard Wasps and Viper Condors wheeled overhead, cawing and screeching as their masters came through the western gate. At their head was a bandaged Mehmet Pasha with others of the various Sand Tribes behind him, all in full war attire which seemed to have seen much use in recent days.

"What? This is intolerable! I'll report you to the Fire Lord myself!" Chan howled as Bumi encased him entirely in rock, except for his face.

"Let's see how you like being trapped!" Bumi laughed as Chan tried the fire Breath in vain. "Onwards men, we have banners to return, citizens to unfurl…or was it the other way round?" he scratched his head.

The entire city erupted in cheer.


	21. Chapter 21: Post Haste

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

The mop-up operation was over in a matter of one day, the fleeing Commandoes largely stuck in the desert where they were preyed upon by Sand Tribe harassers and the local animal life. Some made it to the Fire Nation controlled ports, but found them deserted to the general order to return to the Fire Nation capital. The Serpent was still running amok in its lake, thus Omashu was safe on all fronts.

"So, Mr. Governor… why is half of your army headed home?" Colonel Long poked at him with a stick, the former governor hung upside down on a punishment wheel the village of Chin once sent in tribute to Bumi.

"I won't talk!" the governor had water dripping down his nose as the wheel rotated him back to an upright position.

"You won't fight _and_ you won't talk! Pathetic!" his wife snapped from across the room, chained but allowed to sit on a padded chair. Baby Tom-Tom cooed in his mother's lap, oblivious to the fact that his new home was now in the hands of potentially hostile strangers. "Why can't you be more like our daughter instead of our son?" She held up the baby, who looked curiously at Long and the other interrogators.

"Any news?" Bumi stalked into the room, giving Tom-Tom a pinch on the cheek.

"None, my lord, the governor is proving rather stubborn," the colonel poked him again.

"Come on, you're lost here, why don't you just tell me so I can let you and your family go?" Bumi knocked the governor on the head like he was a door.

"I can't, the Fire Lord will kill me! Worse, he might kill my daughter! She's still there, you know!"

The governor's wife softened her look, worrying now about Mai and finally understanding her husband's reluctance to talk. Mai was strong, but she was in dangerous company in the form of Princess Azula, who seemed wholeheartedly her father's daughter. Disloyalty was punished severely by Sozin's family, and not always by quick death.

"We'll tell him Admiral Chan squealed, that makes more sense," Mitsu shrugged at the governor's wife. "The governor here is now officially dead," he tapped the older man on the nose.

"I can't be _dead_! They'll send a replacement here and have us _all_ killed! And they'll probably bury me in the commoners' garden…"

"Oh, enough with your politicking, you coward! You show one bit of backbone and you ruin it all with that social status problem! I'll tell you gentlemen about all the army, just let us go in peace! Please, for my son!" she held up Tom-Tom to Bumi's eye level.

"Start talking, lady," Long pointed the stick at her.

"The Fire Nation is planning to secure itself during the Day of the Black Sun, when the moon blocks the sun and Firebenders lose their power. The Fire Lord didn't say much else in his letter, but that's expected at times like this. Now let us go, please!" the governess clutched her baby.

"I have to go _now_," Mitsu looked at Bumi and the colonel, "I'm the only one who can get to the Fire Nation in time."

"In time for what, sonny?" Bumi raised his good eyebrow.

"We won't talk about that in front of these people," Mitsu pointed at the governor. "Do what you want with them and the captured soldiers, I need to speak to the Pasha."

Mitsu called two guards in and herded the King and his senior official outside, where he broke into a brisk walk, fingering his staff.

"Slow down, boy!" Bumi held his back, "I'm tough as nails but I'm still 112 you know!"

Mitsu and the colonel looked at each other, and raised the King on their shoulders, much to the bemusement of the watching guards. They raced through the corridors and dropped Bumi on a piece of hay, the Ostrich Horse munching it darting upwards in surprise.

"Not as good as the chutes, but that was fun! I should make it a public holiday! Carry the King Day!" Bumi whooped as he pulled himself up.

"Don't you remember that the Avatar and his friends are planning an invasion soon?" Mitsu whispered to the king and the colonel.

"You don't have to whisper, everyone here knows that!" Kuei's head butted into the huddle. "The Fire Nation's spotted Water Tribe ships around the western coast! That's why they're tightening security!" Bosco's face also entered the huddle, but his bear grunts were superfluous to the discussion.

"So it's like this, you get to the place where they're discussing this invasion and _stop_ them!" Long squeezed himself between Bumi and Kuei.

"I have no idea where they are! If I know Sokka, he'd have the whole coastline surrounded by Waterbender fog! They're at some sort of base only my Hawk knows where to find! And…"

"You left the hawk with them," Bumi slapped his forehead.

"If I may, sire?" Jing pushed his head into the huddle, making Mitsu squint. "You might do better to weaken the Fire Nation before the Invasion, maybe find some plans for their cities and military?"

"Good idea, Master Jing!" Bumi cackled, "I was talking to some of those traitors earlier, one of them said Chan had the air force plans in his house on some place called Ember Island."

"Ember Island, the Fire Nation vacation spot? We've got tons of vouchers for that place in the library…" Mitsu recalled shoving tons of junk mail off the rock.

"So you take one of those airships they left behind here, and we go get those plans!" Kuei looked at his brother. "But first, we have to…get…out…of…this…hey, Bumi, can't you move at all?"

"Don't look at me, Master Jing's head is pinning me down between you two!" Bumi pulled helplessly.

"HELP!"

It took five burly men to finally separate the king and the others from their enforced clinch, but eventually the airship was ready to sail, with Bosco cowering on the edge of the boat again. Kuei patted his head and held his paw as they, made their way to the prow where Mitsu stood. Some Sand Tribe men had volunteered to crew the ship, wearing the hated Commando uniforms, while Mitsu himself was dressed in the uniform of the admiral's aide-de-camp, a heavy leather vest with metal buttons and a giant blade on his back in the fashion of the Fire Nation.

"You remember how to simulate sand bending?" the Pasha held out a small bag of sand.

"It's a matter of lifting the grains and spreading them around carefully," Mitsu made some sand flow outwards and swung it in a loop, placing it back in the bag. "Not as natural as you, but it'll do for cover."

"Why not me, I'm an _actual_ Sand bender!" Kuei made a likeness of himself with the sand and put it back in the bag.

"Too dangerous, you might be recognized by some of the people there and the risk is too high. Azula herself might be there, and she _knows_ what you looks like."

Kuei looked away for an instant, remembering his impromptu glass bending in the palace and the carnage he saw outside. Part of him wanted to kill her, but the last thing he saw was a look of surprise on her face as she saw what had happened outside. Talk among the Omashu men, of whom some were Ba Sing Se survivors was that Azula had planned for a bloodless coup with the help of the Dai Li, but that Chan barged in unannounced. He had no inkling of Azula's ultimate plan, however and would have gladly welcomed a second shot at the princess and his throne.

"They've never seen you before either?"

Mitsu pulled out his mask and gave it to Kuei. "This is what I wore back when the drill attacked Ba Sing Se, my first encounter with the Princess and her flunkies. One of them was the Governor's daughter, in fact. They will have no idea who I am, especially in this uniform."

"But Prince Zuko should be with them. He turned on the Avatar in the caverns, and his uncle is now imprisoned in a lone tower overlooking the capital. Rock of Solace, they called it, something for royal traitors."

Mitsu clenched his teeth at the news, although he had already heard it from the Pasha earlier. It was no less shocking or upsetting for him, but he understood Zuko' s feelings and even felt sorry for him slightly, given his sad upbringing and admiration of Iroh. Azula was another matter entirely, Mitsu was convinced she was evil incarnate, especially if Kuei's doubts about her were unfounded. She certainly had the tendency to inspire fear in people, even with her two best friends Ty Lee and Mai.

"Whatever you do, do not assassinate anyone," the Pasha put his free hand on Mitsu's shoulder. "You do not want any uproar before the Avatar arrives. You will look for the plans in Admiral Chan's house, which should be among the largest now that the Fire Lord no longer has a family house there."

"Understood," Mitsu bowed to the Sand leader, whose arm was still in a sling. "I wish you could come with me, as you always have before on long journeys."

"This is your task, to bring about the great changes that will heal the world of the last century of pain. I do not hear talk of heretics or sinners, all I see here are brave people- no, brave _children_ attempting to shape fate. I will be here with my people, and you must be with yours as well, my lord Warden of the Rock."

"My people are down there with Bumi."

"Your friends who bend water, air and earth…they are your people, _Maulana _Mitsu." The Pasha coughed and two of his tribesmen came up to support him. "Your Majesty still wishes to come with the Warden?" he turned to Kuei.

"I have been in my palace for too long, ignorant of everything but my own pleasure," Kuei stood to his full height. "Right now, all I want to do is see the world and help Mitsu and the Avatar set things right. I'm no good at the ruling people business just yet, plus Ba Sing Se is still in enemy hands. I've left Bumi in charge of everything here; he is much more capable than I am at the moment."

"You use potential terms, sire," the Pasha grinned, "_at the moment, right now, just yet._ Are you planning a return?"

"Hell yes," Kuei smiled at his brother. "But I also need an Earthbending teacher, and Mitsu recommends the daughter of the Bei Fong family."

"From I know the girl is blind in the desert, but a fearsome bender otherwise. You choose wisely, your Majesty. We of the Desert do not always serve you the way you might want, but we would rather have you than any foreign power on the great seat of your Fathers."

"That is heartening, Pasha, which is why I'm putting you in charge of the desert and as Bumi's military advisor for the north. The Colonel is very shrewd but lacks information on the north and east past the lake. I hope you can help."

The Pasha raised his non-bandaged arm and began to recite a poem.

_Earth over ground_

_Earth underground_

_Dust in between_

_Yet sand covers all from sea to sea_

_Sand sees what rock does not_

_Sand waits till the animals rot_

_Oh sand, where the water touches the land_

_Where the sun and moon play their daily hand_

"The Sand Tribes will help the King of Ba Sing Se," he bowed and started walking towards the gangplank that led back to the airship station, now abandoned save for their vessel.

"I wish I could recite poetry like that," Kuei untied the anchor rope and pushed the vessel away. Below him, Earthbenders were rebuilding the city in earnest, the Omashu style proving great for architecture with its smooth, simultaneous movements, almost like Airbending but with more muscular strength. It was as if Omashu was never invaded at all, with not a single Fire Nation banner or soldier in sight. Caravans of people were trickling in from the surroundings, now rather free of the "Pentapox" they used to flee earlier. Bumi stood alone on the tallest parapet waving; no one knew that he was actually Earthbending the new prison down the road, but that was Bumi in a nutshell, always doing what people weren't expecting.

"Maybe I could hook you up with Sokka. Heard he almost won a haiku contest back in the Big City," Mitsu handed a piece of rope to a crewman while another pointed the ship eastwards.

Mitsu looked at a calendar rolled up in his pack, noting that the Day of the Black Sun was only four days coming and that there had been no contact between the Avatar and himself. The balloon journey alone would take one day, leaving him three precious days to get the information, locate Iroh and warn Aang of the extra troops. 'No pressure' would be a total misnomer for this operation, and Mitsu worried that he would only be able to do one or two in time. Still, he had to do something, and Ember Island was after all, the home of Zhan Ming, the only known Heretic to have been a Firebender by birth. She was credited with beautiful forms of fire often copied but rarely copied well by 'pure' Firebenders. He felt pulled towards her memorial stone on the island, where she had previously summoned him at the Library. It was crazy coincidence, but the world had a funny way of dealing with things, as Bumi showed. The balloon was soon between the two horizons of east and west, the narrow sea between the Earth Kingdom's eastern coast and the Fire Nation's western coast. A faint green mist covered the place known as the Western Air Temple while there was a hint of ice flow from the south.

The crew locked the mechanism in and went down below deck, as the sea air was cold to the touch at their altitude. The two brothers were soon in sight of the first ring of volcanoes of the Fire Nation, red beacons in the eastern horizon. Ember Island was just ahead of these volcanoes, which gave holidaymakers and residents an unobstructed view of the Western Ocean but at the same time nearby spas and other relaxation facilities. The Fire Nation proper didn't start until fifty miles inward, where the first Fire Sage temples were built in ancient times long with quaint villages where an incredible mix of people dwelt. It was all on the equator, where the Firebenders felt strongest, with the most sun. Kuei, who had never seen so much water before felt impervious to the cold as he looked out over the brief intersection between the Four Nations.

"I can't believe I was shut in from all this. This is the best view I've had all my life," he breathed in the salty sea air. "Come on Bosco, the heights aren't _that_ bad! Come on, you're a _mountain_ bear for goodness sake!"

The bear whined, keeping its paws over its head. The heights were not something he was frightened of; it was the fact that nothing lay between him and the sea. Million ton mountains were certainly not flying airships.

"You can land this thing and stretch your legs at first light. I'll go to Ember Island and get the data we need, then the crew will take you over the Fire Nation capital. The logo on the ship will give us a clear road to cross the Fire Nation and go to the west coast. Hopefully we can find the Avatar before he launches his attack." Mitsu tightened his vambraces and shortened his staff to its bare minimum, attaching it to his belt.

"Be careful," Kuei tightened his cloak as the cold began to bite. "Chan's son is on the island."

"He's the one I'm looking for," Mitsu put one foot on the prow of the airship and launched himself toward the night beacon that Ember Island put out for the tourist ships . The Earth King meanwhile dragged his bear down to the lower decks, settling in for the night. Mitsu flew very low over the surface of the sea, careful not to arouse any watchtowers or marine patrols. The Fire Nation Navy was the best around, and despite a horrific defeat at the North Pole a month or so ago Mitsu knew they were still numerous and crucially well-armed. They weren't irregulars like Chan's Earthbenders or conscripts like the occupiers of Omashu; the sailors were all volunteers and able shipmen, given the Fire Nation's archipelagic nature. The Moon shone brightly over him as he slipped past two lightly-manned lighthouses, silent gliding in the dark from the Force Bender. The balloon was now out of reach. According to the plan, he would meet them just past the capitol's eastern wall and the balloon would rise into the clouds. The beacon grew brighter as he approached, with several vessels headed to the yellow flame.

Mitsu landed on a distant rock, noting the vessels that did come. One was empty, probably a staff transfer judging by the brooms and dusters being carted off by the lone rower. The next one had a bunch of drunken Firebenders singing silly songs and was nearly tipping over; not a good one to raid, even inebriated Firebenders could start an inferno. The last vessel headed towards the beacon was eerily silent. Mitsu levitated alongside it and lined his eyes up with a port window.

"Holy …." Mitsu couldn't hold back the tide of vomit that erupted out of his throat after seeing what was inside the ship.

"Who goes there?" A gruff sounding guard clattered over the roof of the silent ship. Mitsu saw a spear tip touch his neck, forcing him to levitate on board. The guard looked rather pitiful, his armor clearly too big for him and his spear too heavy for him to carry.

"This is a Fire Nation vessel, the _Burning Warrior_! Identify yourself!" the man's voice squeaked.

"I'm…I'm a special commando under the command of Admiral Chan," he showed the shoulder patch all the Commandoes wore, bearing Chan's trademark green burning serpents.

"What, you jumped onto this ship from the Earth Kingdom? I'll believe that when rabbit-birds fly!" the man pointed the spear at Mitsu.

"Rabbit birds _do_ fly."

"Oh," the man touched his finger to his chin. "but you're still intruding on this ship. This is the funeral boat of Admiral Zhao! We're returning it to his ancestral home on Ember Island! We don't want you Earthbending scum on this ship, even if you work for us!"

"What do you mean _we_? All I see is you," Mitsu crossed his arms.

"I can just send a fire flare up and all the garrisons will be here, earth scum!"

"Goodbye now," Mitsu opened his palm and shoved the skinny soldier overboard and right onto a cliff wall. He found a hatch on the top of the vessel, which was going at a ridiculously slow pace. There were no sailors or crew as funeral vessels were almost totally unmanned owing to a fixed course from an outer island to the home island of the deceased. Mitsu swallowed hard and looked at Zhao's once proud face, now drained of all water and life. His bones looked more like stone than organic matter while what was left of his skin looked like a beaten up curtain torn over his ribcage. Mitsu taught it wasn't possible for a human _skull_ to look horrified, but this was one. Some of his artifacts, including his seal and rank badge were encased behind him and were the only way he could be identified. A plaque at his feet read "HERO OF THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGN", which Mitsu knocked off and threw out the window.

"Aang told me a lot about you, you're lucky you met him and not me," Mitsu closed the window. Sounds of hollering men suddenly came to Mitsu's ears, sailors from nearby patrol vessels.

"Ahoy! Someone in there?"

Mitsu looked around, but it seems the skinny guy didn't have quarters.

"Hello? Can someone respond?"

Mitsu leapt under Zhao's funeral bed as heavy boots began to board the funeral boat. Men murmured up top for quite some time, as Mitsu readied his bending.

"Ah, these ships are creepy. Just like the guy inside," a voice could be heard. The feet noticeably stopped walking on the deck, with the boat slowly moving forward again as Mitsu breathed a sigh of relief. A mechanized clock rang the hour, even including an estimated time of arrival at the docks. It would not be until the fifth hour of day, so Mitsu chose to find the guard's sleeping quarters, given that closer to the island, navy boats patrolled more often and in larger numbers. Nothing could be done tonight, which made him despair of lost time. One more day lost, one day left to find Iroh. As he slept he clenched his fists, rocking the boat as he fell to slumber.


	22. Chapter 22: Playing On Ember Island

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"This is boring," Zuko crossed his arms as the Sea Hippo pulled the Royal Carriage. "Suddenly my father sends us all away on a vacation?"

Mai was seated next to him, but said nothing despite moving a bit closer to Zuko. She was _always_ bored, so a boring scenario was practically normal for her.

"So he wants to meet his advisors alone, and in secret. What, do you want a burn on the other side of your face, Zuzu?" Azula pointed to her left eye.

"Oh, come on guys! Treat it like the vacation that it is!" Leave it to Ty Lee to see the light in any situation, complete with stationary cartwheel. "We're going to Ember Island! Home of ball games, sandcastles and…._cute boys!_" she pointed to a passing vessel.

"You idiot," Azula grabbed the top of Ty Lee's head. "That's a _funeral boat_. The minders are usually ugly, wart-ridden…." she was also silent as the boat rider stretched and scratched his head, shirtless in the morning sun. He had a green sash around his waist and his hair was neatly trimmed short, too short for a top knot but long enough to drape over his head. "Wart ridden hunk of cheese," Azula regained her composure.

"Go ahead and seize him, Azula. Tell him your father ordered it," Mai smiled out of the corner of her mouth.

"Hmm…" she eyed the strange man that passed them by, who now put on his uniform, the uniform of Fire Nation colonials in the Earth Kingdom. "He's Earthbender peasantry, not worth the effort." Her grin betrayed what she was really thinking, but Azula always thought of standards first.

"Hello there!" Ty Lee waved over the prow before Azula pulled her back.

"Hey, it's bad luck to wave to a funeral boat, you know that?"

"Hey, that's… Admiral Zhao's funeral boat!" Zuko looked over his sister's shoulder. He remembered Zhao too well, being the last person to see him alive at the North Pole and the last person to fight him in an Agni Kai. The Ocean Spirit had taken him away to die, and he remained proud to the last, refusing the prince's hand as La took him away to his ultimate demise. His name was etched on the sides of the silent metal vessel, a silent reminder of the terror that he had inflicted upon the other nations. It was odd though, to see one of Admiral Chan's men being the lone minder, usually something reserved for an old campaigner or close aide. The two Admirals were constant rivals and could only be pacified by the Fire Lord himself appointing them as leaders of South/Eastern and North/ Western fleets respectively, literally separated across the world. Zhao was a navy man through and through, strictly using ships and coastal tactics while Chan was the army man, preferring ground tactics and aerial warfare. They both had enormous influence with the royal court; Zhao had the Fire Sages and the colonels in his pocket while Chan had the favor of War Minister Qin and crucially the Royal Treasury.

"I guess the Admirals are finally at peace with each other," Zuko watched the minder do some basic stretches.

"His aura is so…_golden_," Ty Lee was now on her belly with her hands cupping her chin.

"I suppose I can seize him for you if you want," Azula shrugged, looking at Mai who had made the comment earlier.

"I wouldn't do that," Zuko shook his head. "Chan's Commandoes only ever answer to him. When I was in the Earth Kingdom, even the Fire Nation officers didn't dare tell them to do anything."

"We're the Prince and the Princess of the Fire Nation, no one can refuse us!" Azula's eyes began to glow blue.

"Calm down, it looks like we're all headed to the same place, that little house over there," Mai pointed to a cabin that was decidedly smaller than the vacation houses on the western shore, though no less grand.

The Sea Hippo barked as it was detached from the Royal Carriage, swimming off to the Hippo Pod on the southern coast of Ember Island. Ty Lee leapt off the carriage and landed perfectly on the wooden docks, smiling as always. Azula, Zuko then finally Mai emerged the normal way over the gangplank, greeted by attendants who took over the carriage as they left. Two old women came down a flight of stairs and bowed to the group, although their wrinkled faces made reading their expressions difficult.

"Greetings, children!" one of them spoke. "Greetings, Princess Azula and Prince Zuko!" they bowed, though not prostrate as others would normally do in the Fire Nation. For older people like them, it was not customary to prostrate to children, even royal children.

Azula bowed with the fist in palm. "Greetings Masters Li and Lo. Your student returns for a short but enjoyable vacation under your ward."

Zuko bowed but with no palm gesture, "Greetings." They didn't teach him Firebending, it was Iroh and standard issue trainers for him.

"Come, the house is this way," Li snapped her fingers and an attendant grabbed their bags. "We will join you soon; we have that funeral boat to attend to. Zhao was our neighbor, after all, right sis?"

"He was your secret crush!" Lo cackled.

"He was _not_! He thought I was you!" Li cackled back. Zuko made a face and Mai nodded, taking his hand as the others walked up the stairs.

The funeral boat had no such welcome from the attendants, with only the old twins approaching it as its mechanism died down. Mitsu leapt down the high deck and bowed to the twins, his hat disguising his face from them in the hot early morning sun.

"It comes to this, after all," Li shook her head. "He was always impetuous and arrogant, now he's nothing but a bag of bones."

"Has Admiral Chan finally apologized for all his insults by sending you, Earthbender?"

"I am a Sand Bender," Mitsu spoke with a heavier tone. "But yes, the Admiral sends his deepest condolences and has ordered flags of mourning for a week back in the Earth Kingdom."

"He sends the lowest form of Earthbender, and he thinks that is enough?" Lo perked up her eyebrows.

"I am not the lowest form, old mistress," Mitsu raised an eyebrow of his own. "I am in fact here twofold, to deliver the remains of Admiral Zhao and as reward for exemplary service," he showed them a tunic that was made up of several medals taken from the Fire Nation garrison for effect.

"The Order of the Red Dragon?" Li turned to her sister. "How did you earn a medal usually reserved for Firebenders?"

"This was given by the Admiral himself, he said no Earth medals were worthy of me."

"I suppose," Lo motioned for some attendants to head for the island. "The temple people will take care of his remains, son. Enjoy your vacation, and give our regards to your Admiral when you get back. He was once our most promising student."

"I will, mistress. His green flame was no doubt the product of well nurtured talent," Mitsu bowed, though he felt like laughing.

"Don't get fresh with us, young man. Though you _are_ right," Li giggled through what remained of her teeth. "Off with you now, your uniform can be put in Zhao's old cabin right next to that unused one." They pointed to a cabin on the left of their own, a tall but lonely looking wooden structure with a pointed red roof.

Mitsu quickly escaped the docks and clambered up the hill, the heavy uniform making things harder. Though he could easily carry it like he could his staff, the focus was on not being seen and thus he had to do it the old fashioned way, lugging it on his shoulders as he went up the hill.

"Need some help?" a voice called out behind him. "That's not really beach wear, you know."

Mitsu turned to see a beaming Ty Lee in her pink circus outfit waving at him. He was about to assume a stance but remembered that during the drill fight he had been masked.

"Thanks, but Earthbenders are used to carrying big loads."

"I've never met an Earthbender before, at least not one I didn't have to fight," Ty Lee put her hands behind her back.

Mitsu had to think fast. "I've never met a Firebender I …wait a minute."

They both laughed as Mitsu took off the leather portion of the uniform, hurling it over the house's balcony.

"Your aura is so nice! Gold-like but with a bit of dark blue and white shades- are you in some sort of hurry?" she stopped at the doorway.

"A lot of stress, that's all. That's why the Admiral sent me here on vacation…well, that and to return Admiral Zhao's remains. Look, I have to take a bath now; I've been hanging out with a corpse for a couple of days now…"

"Okay, we'll be at the beach soon! We're in the cabin next door, if you wanna hang out! See you! Oh, my name is Ty Lee, by the way!" She immediately leapt off the porch and over the small dividing fence, landing on the western part of her own cabin.

Mitsu exhaled and took down the map of Ember Island that was on Zhao's wall. Next to him was the cabin of Lo and Li, former trainers for the Fire Nation Academy for Girls and acclaimed Firebending masters in their youth. There was a small Sage temple on the northern part of the island, while a long stretch of sandy beach encompassed the island, white sands much unlike the yellow dunes of the Song Yi. The Hippo Pod was on the south coast while a row of exclusive houses was on the other side of the island. To his dismay, a smaller island to the west, the map indicated a Fire Nation Navy patrol base which was probably security for the villas on the western shores, a haunt for the Fire Nation's elite, though the Royals had long abandoned their own vacation house on the island. Chan's house was smack in the middle of the village, which made infiltration difficult. It was the largest house on the western shore and was on a cliff overlooking the sea; something Fire Sages used to say brought good winds to the house. If only they knew that Chan himself was stuck in a block of stone somewhere under Omashu, no doubt a pawn in another of Bumi's schemes.

Zhao's house was largely empty, though the Sage on the island was clearly expecting him. Funeral papers and letters of condolence were on the wall, including one from the Fire Lord himself, sealed with the Phoenix Seal, three bold flames surrounded by fire. Mitsu noticed his neighbors talking on the upstairs level and slid behind the windowsill, pressing his hand to the wall for better listening.

"Who are these two beautiful women?" he heard Ty Lee speak.

"Why they're Lo/Li and me!" he heard the old crones speak in unison. Zuko could be heard coughing, or nearly throwing up.

"Hey, I met the guy on the funeral boat just now! He's really nice, and really cute!" Ty Lee chirped again.

"_Everything_'s nice and cute to you," Mai rolled her eyes.

"Ember Island has that kind of quality found nowhere else in the Fire Nation," Li raised a finger. "It brings out the person you really are when you least expect it. The beach in particular is good at that, with a bit of fire."

"She's _always_ like that," Zuko huffed. "No change there."

"No one has to necessarily change," Lo corrected him. "Some people hide things better than others." She pointed to his left eye, his eternal mask that only the best of healers could ever truly repair, and none of those were friendly. Katara nearly did in Ba Sing Se, but he ruined that as well, as he always did. If Ember Island really had that kind of magic, Zuko felt that it was working, and that he was feeling worse and worse as time went on. His heart longed for Iroh, though even his beloved uncle wasn't speaking to him anymore from his lonely cell up in the Traitor's Tower as some dubbed it. He felt that he really had no one left in his life, even Mai who was acting (more) cold and distant from him than before.

"We'll have lunch first, you all have had a long journey," Li clapped her hands and two attendants came out with low tables and cushions.

Lunch was surprisingly good; though the meat was entirely seafood it was filling while the rice was just the right softness for the taste buds. Sea cucumbers rounded off the meal, freshly picked but an hour ago from the ocean bed.

"You should bring that boy over here for lunch, young lady. He's been watching over Zhao's corpse for three days now as is the custom. I think he's getting tired of the rites rations," Lo turned to Ty Lee.

"I'd love to! That is, if you guys don't mind." She was asking everyone but turned to Azula for real approval.

"If it makes you happy," she said apathetically as she swallowed a fish slice.

"Something wrong with the curry, princess?" Li pointed, "Your cheeks are reddening slightly."

Azula touched her porcelain white cheeks in surprise, but nodded. "Yes Masters, I'm still not used to hot food."

"Ironic, coming from a Firebender," Lo nodded back. "Tea is at the fourth hour, don't be late."

Zuko noticed a slight change in his sister, who regarded the twins with grave respect, something she rarely did for anyone. They were the ones who taught her to use blue flames and marked her as a prodigy in her early years, with their own skill being nothing short of legendary. Iroh for some reason detested them but never spoke out against them, though he insisted Zuko be his own student to which Ozai surprisingly agreed. He found himself Firebending in a fairly unique way, something the guards and other teachers applauded him for, though not as much as they applauded Azula who had already found her particular colour of blue early on. Iroh's technique and flame always seemed different to Zuko, like calming warmth instead of a blazing rage. Zuko himself always felt driven by rage, but now his heart was hollow, lost in the winds of politics and his yearning for his father's love. No rage was possible, unless he was directing it at himself.

That couldn't be right; he did the _right_ thing by siding with Azula, didn't he? He brought the traitor Iroh to justice and apparently killed the Avatar. He took over Ba Sing Se with his sister and came home to Ozai's approval and Mai's love. So what was wrong? Why did he feel like the world had turned its back on him instead?

"Zuko, we're off to the beach, come on!" Azula's harsh voice brought him back to reality. "Get changed!"

The beach was not as full as they expected, given that it wasn't school holiday season or a public holiday (only the Earth Kingdom exceeded the Fire Nation in public days off). Little children could be seen prancing about on the sands, little spades in their hands. Older boys and girls were playing numerous ball games on the beach, some with nets and some with hoops. One court in particular was the center of attention, with four boys and girls on each side kicking a ball over an elevated net.

"Move it!" Azula kicked a sandcastle down, leaving the poor boy making it in tears. "I think we've found our spot!" Zuko frowned and took Mai's hand, calling for an umbrella from a nearby shack. If he was going to be with anyone on the beach it would be Mai and not his overbearing sister. Ty Lee was on another spot, with teenage boys flocking to give her shade, give her sun block, to give her food or just to give her attention. Azula found herself sitting alone on her 'spot', huffing as she sat on the blanket.

"If you asked nicely, the kid might have moved elsewhere," she heard Mitsu's voice behind her.

"Who dares address me that way?" Azula turned on her back. She saw him seemingly sand bending the castle back together, though he hid the strain of his disguised bending behind a beachcomber hat.

"I dare address you that way," Mitsu grinned, pulling the hat's drapes to one side.

"You have no idea who I am?" she suddenly remembered that Ember Island was somewhat isolated from the main islands.

"Nope," Mitsu finished the castle to the joy of the little boy. "Am I supposed to know who you are, beach bum?" he bent a small moat around the castle.

"Beach bum!? Why I'll…um, no! I'm just a vacationing young lady looking for some _stress_ relief."

Azula didn't know why her heart was pumping, but it was a surprisingly good feeling, coupled with the heavy lunch she had earlier. This was clearly the guy from the funeral boat, though up close he looked a lot younger than he did from the Royal Carriage. There was something familiar about his face, but she couldn't place him.

"Does the lady have a name?" The question sent Azula racing for answers.

"Um, I don't give my name to strangers. Mother's rule, you know…"

"I'm not your mother," Mitsu grinned, waving as he turned around and headed for the Kuai Ball arena. "Beach bum," he added.

Azula felt halfway insulted and halfway flattered, but this person was certainly arousing her interest. He was shaking hands with two young men on the island, both of them wearing governor's necklaces that signified rank on this island. Because of Ember Island's spiritual and recreational status, their representatives rarely attended meetings at the capital, aside from the local Fire Sage who she had seen more than enough of. An idea cooked in her scheming head as she watched Ty Lee pick up her twelfth admirer.

"Hey, you're one of my dad's guys!" the younger Chan shook hands with Mitsu, noticing the green sash around his uncovered waist.

"Indeed I am, Master Chan. He sent me here to have a little vacation after saving his life."

"Oh? What happened to my dad?" Chan looked at his friend.

"Nothing he couldn't handle, just a small Earth Kingdom revolt. One of them almost got him with an iron spear, but I tackled him out of the way. You look just like him, if I might add, young Master."

"Oh don't call me that, here it's just Chan. This is my pal Ruon-Jian." The other young man clasped arms with Mitsu, bowing slightly. "We're the kings of cool around here, and if anyone saves my dad's life they're cool too. Hey, we're having a little party tonight, and I'm inviting you, uh…"

"Mitsu, Mitsu Ishihara."

"Yeah, you're invited Mitsu. See you there at the eighth hour after noon. Got a date? We can find you one."

"I'll find my own, thanks." Mitsu turned to the courts, where several young ladies were oohing and aahing as Zuko removed his cloak to take part in a Kuai Ball game with his sister, Mai and Ty Lee. With their acquired skills and training they were dominating their rather amateur opponents, who were mere locals interested in a kick about. They weren't expecting psycho captain Azula and her team.

"Time out," Mitsu made a T from the side of the court.

"Wait your turn! We're at match point!" Azula barked through the net.

"Time out, substitution… take a rest, young lady," Mitsu pointed to the lady on his side of the court, nearly hobbling after one too many of Azula's power spikes.

"Hey, can we get going?" Mai called out from their back court.

"Tell you what, double or nothing," Mitsu walked up to the neck to face Azula. "Beach bum."

Zuko nearly swallowed the ball he was holding as he noticed who exactly this interrupting stranger was.

"That makes it interesting," Azula shot Mitsu back a look. "Name your price, outlander."

"Next point, sudden death," Mitsu crossed his arms. "We win, your friend in the white outfit comes with me to the party tonight," he waved to Ty Lee, who waved back.

"Hardly a bet, she'd go if you asked her, I say if you win, you get to go with _me_."

"You're on, beach bum," he grinned.

"Outlander," she grinned back. "If we win, you have to endure the humiliation and eternal shame of having lost to me!"

Mitsu looked at his teammates, who were probably the only ones who realized the oddness of Azula's bet.

"Mitsu?" Zuko approached but his sister waved him to get back alongside Mai in the back court. Zuko wondered what _he_ was doing here, after the meeting in Ba Sing Se. Had he gone over to the Fire Nation side as well? Was the world really topsy-turvy? Was he a Fire Nation spy in Ba Sing Se? He had so many questions, questions that wouldn't be answered by the oncoming ball.

"ZUKO!" Azula yelled at her brother. He quickly snapped out of his trance and kicked the ball upwards. It dropped to Mai, who kneed it forward towards the net. Ty Lee appeared to be the one to knock it over the net, but instead she bowed down, allowing Azula to leap on her back, her legs poised to strike. The ball literally changed shape as she struck it, the blow catching the attention of everyone on the beach.

"Ha!" she landed on her feet, her loose hair flitted over her eyes. "We win!"

"Azula, look out!" Ty Lee called from behind. The ball slammed right into her face, the impact ripping the tattered net apart and landing the Fire Princess in a small sand crater. Mitsu was still in mid-flight when his smile caught her eye, a defiant smirk. He landed square on his heels, to the delight of his teammates and the girls on the side.

"What happened ?!" Azula angrily demanded.

"Well, you hit your comet blaster, but he jumped up and deflected it with the back of his heel." Mai looked at Zuko, the both of them struggling to contain their giggles.

"That was CHEATING!" Azula formed two globes of blue fire, but two young men came towards her with smiles on their faces.

"Hey, no Firebending on the beach, I'm Chan, this is Ruon-Jian. We rule this island," the muscled admiral's son crossed his arms but still smirked.

"No cheating there, beach bum. You're coming with me to the party tonight," Mitsu looked her square in the eye. "Along with my team, of course."

Chan looked at the Kuai ball team and shrugged. "More the merrier, but I thought you wanted to go with the one in white."

"I'll take em both, Chan," Mitsu shrugged and smiled at Ty Lee. "The captain here is rather angry though, I think she'll need another date."

"Oh fine, you can _all_ come to the party. It's at the eighth hour, don't be late!" Chan turned round and repeated the message to the Kuai Ball team who cheered in response.

"Still not telling me your name, Azula?" Mitsu smirked.

"I'm not telling you anything…wait, you know who I am?"

"I know your brother over there," he turned to Zuko. "Long time no see, Mr. Hotman."

"Uh, hi…" Zuko scratched his head as the girls all frowned at him. Mitsu waved them off and went to cavort with his team.

"You didn't tell me you knew him?" Azula wanted to strangle Zuko.

"It was from a long time ago!" Zuko tried to protest.

"I don't care either way, let's get back to the house," Mai exhaled and began to turn around.

Azula had to be dragged by Ty Lee to catch up to Mai, leaving Zuko staring at his cousin's old friend. Mitsu gave him a knowing stare before leaping off towards Chan's general direction, ignoring the prince. His sister and her friends were all he could recognize right now, at least in some part. Headaches like old memories would have to wait.

"So Chan, does your father keep his medals and whatnot at home? He told me he has quite a few in his war room."

"Of course," Chan high fived Ruon-Jian, "but he doesn't let other people in there, although…"

"You're one of his men… I guess that would be okay right Chan?" Ruon-Jian tugged at his friend's arm. "Maybe we'll get a sneak peek!"

"The Admiral trusts us like he trusts his fire," Mitsu repeated an oft-heard slogan. "Besides, he wants some maps for our next campaign."

"What campaign would that be? His forces aren't allowed in the Fire Nation," Chan stopped walking.

Mitsu's mind once again fumbled through his library of answers. "He's got a new kind of plan cooking that involves regular Fire Nation troops. Something about flying ships."

"We _have_ flying ships, mine's anchored near the northern bay," Ruon-Jian pointed to the Sage Tower in the distance.

"I mean _huge_ ships, like the ones in the Navy," Mitsu made a wide gap with his hands.

"That'll be awesome," Chan high fived Mitsu, "hey, where are you staying?"

"Zhao's old place, suits me fine." Mitsu pointed to the slightly dilapidated house. "Though I think our sore losers might change that."


	23. Chapter 23 : The Original Playas

Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

The attendants looked like circus flat nosed gibbons as they tried to catch every bit of cutlery thrown by Azula. Ty Lee laughed while Mai simply sat in another room. Zuko was the only one trying to calm his sister down after the 'shame' of losing the Kuai Ball game and being forced to be the opposing captain's date as well.

"Hey, this is your masters' house! Cut it out!" Zuko barely dodged a flying vase that one of the attendants barely caught with a diving motion a kingfisher would have been proud of.

"Ooh, that arrogant, pompous little…" she sent a bolt of lightning out the window before sitting cross-legged and hanging her head. Zuko looked confused but Ty Lee cart wheeled to her friend's side.

"This is exciting! A boy's finally asked Azula out and hasn't had his hair burned off!" she smiled.

"She didn't get the chance," Zuko picked an attendant off the floor.

"I don't know what to wear…" the princess mumbled.

"Did we hear _dat_e?" Lo and Li poked their heads around the corner.

"It's the Outlander, as Azula calls him! Isn't that romantic?" Ty Lee was about to explode in sheer saccharine goodness.

"Oh, we had a saying when we were your age," Lo looked at her sister and their both nodded. "To the _party_!" they added a multi stage handshake and head bob.

"To the party indeed," Mitsu could be heard from his window on the other side. The two houses were barely five feet apart, with hints that they were once one.

"Come on in, young man and have tea with us!" Li waved and flashed her few remaining teeth.

"No, Master!" Azula scampered towards the wall. "I am not having tea with that…foreigner!"

"You won't get rabies," Mitsu grinned as he landed on the floor, having leapt through the window. "Hey there, cuteness," he put his finger underneath Ty Lee's chin, making her blush.

"If I was eighty years younger," Lo sighed.

"Tea will be served shortly, youngsters," Li pulled her sister out of the room.

Azula got up and formed a tongue of blue fire from her index finger, pointing it Mitsu. "You have _some_ nerve coming here to our house and getting tea."

"This isn't your house, this is Li and Lo's house," Mitsu put his arm around Ty Lee's shoulders. "Besides, we can chat all we like later at Chan's house. If you're coming."

"_I_'m coming!" Ty Lee nodded and leaned into Mitsu's chest smiling. "Wow, your chest is so tight!"

"It's not like we have anything to do later anyway," Azula growled.

"If you don't mind Ty Lee, I think _she's_ my date, so…"

"Sure!" she let him go and clasped her hands in anticipation. Azula was actually nervous, not angry, she of all people could tell. Azula was rarely uncertain, but this was one of those times.

The attendants came in with a hexagonical tea table, while another woman came in with a giant teapot with accompanying cups and wide spoons. One glowered at Azula for almost destroying her tea set but otherwise they shuffled out of the room right as Mai came in.

"Hey there," Mai dryly welcomed Mitsu.

"Afternoon," Mitsu bowed. "Aren't you the Omashu Governor's daughter?" Mitsu remembered her from a family portrait. Few people resembled their paintings in the Fire Nation, but Mai was a dead ringer for her portrait, unsmiling and with no expression from the land of the living.

"Yes I am," Mai sat upright and took the first tea.

"He sends his regards, and so does your mother."

"We call that place _New Ozai_ now, outlander," Azula sipped at her tea.

"Forgive me Princess, I am Earth Kingdom born and new names are still… new to us." Mitsu made the fist-palm gesture and took his tea.

"How's my little brother?" Mai's sudden look of concern stirred Zuko to life.

"He's fine, but that is on the word of your mother. I did not see him myself."

Mitsu took his tea bowl with both hands and cupped it into his mouth in the Fire Nation fashion, or rather as Zuko alone noticed, in _Iroh_ fashion with left hand under right.

"So how do you know Zuko?" Ty Lee cozied up to him.

"We met when he was travelling on his own in Earth territory. Dangerous guy, this prince of yours."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Azula elbowed her brother. "Dangerous to himself, you mean."

"I don't know, he fought off an elite platoon of Hammer Earthbenders by himself with no support. By the time we got to him they were all downed and he had run off. He's pretty good with a sword, too."

"Well, today's _full_ of surprises," Azula rolled her eyes and finished her tea. "Congratulations Zuzu, you have a fan."

Zuko eyed a shrimp cracker and threw it into his mouth. "I guess I do. Welcome to the group, I guess."

"We're not a 'group'," moaned Mai.

"I'm flattered, but I can't stay long. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"You're _not_ leaving!" Azula threw down her teacup, virtually silencing the room. "Uh, I mean we're just starting get to know you." She picked her cup back and put it to her mouth, although there was no tea left in it.

"I guess that's an order," Mitsu looked at Zuko and shrugged. "Got any Messenger hawks to send to the Admiral?"

"Easy," Azula clapped her hands and an attendant nodded, exiting the house shortly after. "The Tourist Office has some, you'll have one soon," she twirled her white spoon. Ty Lee grinned nervously at her rather socially inept friend.

"Let's put it this way," Mitsu stood up. "If I don't get a Hawk by tomorrow morning at first light, your hawk will be mine. The Admiral doesn't think much of the Royals apart from your father, but that's just him. I've enjoyed meeting you all and the tea, but I want to look around the island, maybe practice some uh, sand bending."

"Can I come along?" Ty Lee gripped his arm.

"Not this time, I'm afraid. In the desert we explore alone." He patted Ty Lee on the head and bowed to the others. Azula was restraining herself from exploding, while Mai flashed a stiletto knife at her in a sign of her growing impatience with the mood swinging princess.

"I'll take the window again?" Mitsu shrugged and leapt towards his own vacation house. "Remember, party at eight!" he landed silently in the courtyard of Zhao's house, shooting them a shining eye.

"Do we _have_ to come?" Mai threw a knife at the exposed part of the wall.

"What else are you going to do? Mope around all day and all night?" Azula reordered the tea set. "It'll give us someone to do."

"Azula," Ty Lee giggled, "You mean _something_ to do?"

Azula turned beet red, "what do you mean?"

The Fire Nation's way of telling time at night was a flare clock mounted on the highest point of every island; while in some houses mechanical clocks were commonplace. Zhao, a collector of clocks took them to his grave, with the funeral boat floating morosely with the ticking of several clocks, headed to its eventual sinking at the nearby naval base where a service for Zhao would be held. Mitsu noticed the flares light up for seven on the highest hill and flew low past the guard posts he had cased earlier. He swung around the hill and spotted a clearing to land.

The ground was soft and the air still, but then again this was a memorial spot. It seemed slightly neglected but was still grand, with perpetually blooming spring flowers and vines running over the sides of the clearing. It was fit for a princess and queen out of some dream, with the waning moon silently observing in the sky. No birds were around, their chirping absent from the night noises, leaving only the waves to sing for the departed.

"Ta Min, wife of Avatar Roku," Mitsu brushed a headstone aside. "Rest in peace," Mitsu gently blew over the stone tablet. "I do not seek you tonight."

He went to ground and started sweeping it with his hands, the hard stone making his fingers jiggle. The grass had penetrated the stone in some parts, but otherwise the ground was flat and that made it easier for him to find what he was looking for. A single white handkerchief was lodged in the stone, flapping about in the small breeze. Mitsu gripped it with both hands and pulled it up, exposing more of the cloth that led into the forest. He force bent the stone back down and followed the cloth into the wood. Animals were quiet as he passed by, his glowing golden eyes being the only light in the darkening wood. The cloth ended deep in the forest, tied around a tree. Mitsu took out a tinderbox and lit the four torches that surrounded the tree. Two names were on the tree, etched with two very different styles of calligraphy.

"Chao Dong of the Northern Water Tribe, Master of the Cloth." Mitsu felt the characters on the right.

"Zhan Ming of the noble house of Zhan, former Princess of the Fire Nation." He traced the left side characters.

"I have come," he reached into his hip pack and placed Sozin's headpiece in front of the tree, bowing with hands clasped.

The wind began to blow faster with the animals scattering, but Mitsu remained unmoved. The tree seemed to grow bigger as the torches burned brighter. No one lived within miles of this spot, though a distant ship would be able to spot a brief flicker of light from the shore. The torches burned yellow at first, then red, then purple, then white. Mitsu felt his spine shiver as he felt the cold descent of beings in the Spirit World.

"Welcome to our long home," a reverberating female voice rasped.

"One we built together," a soft-sounding male joined in.

"Open your eyes, young one."

Mitsu opened his eyes and saw a tall, strikingly beautiful woman dressed in white robes with a pale face, with Sozin's headpiece, glowing golden and red on her head. Beside her was a taller, slightly shrouded man in white with threads of what looked like cloth pulsing around him like paper blown in the wind.

"I am out of time, and I am lost, old ones. I cannot finish this mission." Mitsu looked at his hand. He had about one full day left before the Day of the Black Sun and then half a day for the noon eclipse. Finding and breaking Iroh out would take too long, plus there was the complication of Zuko recognizing him, though thankfully not as an Earth Kingdom Prince. He was lucky all images of him were removed from the palace in Ba Sing Se; in fact the custom was to paint portraits only after death.

"You are not lost; fate weaves strangely at times, "Chao descended first. Mitsu couldn't see his face, covered with a white cloth. "You love the heir of the headpiece like your own father, despite not spending more than a few choice months with him in your youth. The other heir you love like a brother, despite your own birth brother being there for you. Yes, this will make most men lost in thought and consequence."

"I do not know my father the King of Earth under Heaven," Mitsu stood up and looked Chao in the eye. "Iroh was the only man that ever treated me like a son, even if it was brief. Zuko is like a son to him; hence he too is my brother. I am not lost there, though he may be."

"I do understand. It was jarring, living under the roof of the Fire Lord," Chao looked at his wife. "I had to be assured daily that my life was not under threat despite the favor of the Fire Lord at the time. Oh, Kuzon! How your line has fallen into disgrace. He was a happy old man in his day, merry as could be. I would do anything for that man."

"Including fighting for his honor against my brother," Zhan descended and took her husband's arm. "That has always been the failure of my people, to strike first in the name of pride."

"Not all surely, White Phoenix," Mitsu turned to face her.

"The heir of my headpiece is more like my father than his own fathers. The Fire Nation will redeem itself some day; do not concern yourself with the morality of my people as that duty falls squarely on my heirs."

"I too, am your heir."

"Not of that persuasion. I speak of blood and of lineage. The bride of Roku lies outside, and it is her kin that will lead the Fire People to the Sun or to Hellfire. The man you call brother is of that kin."

"Zuko is a descendant of Avatar Roku?" Mitsu's eyes opened wide.

"He is _my_ descendant," Zhan descended all the way to the ground. Her eyes matched Zuko's amber, visible even with her glowing golden pupils. "Ta Min was the daughter of my daughter. Hear the words of the former Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, young prince of Ba Sing Se. Hear the words of she who left the house of the Fire Lord and joined the house of her mother out of love. Zuko will make a choice soon, one that he has delayed making in full for so long. You are to guide him should he choose wisely."

"He seems to have chosen the path of his sister."

"He is not what he seems," Chao descended to the ground. "You would do best to find out what is in his heart, for his sister is alien to us. Kin by blood, but not in spirit. I may yet be wrong, as she is but a young child."

"Go now, with our blessing and your courage," Zhan bent down to kiss Mitsu on the forehead, "We are of the Spirit World now and have some foresight; you will come here again and not learn, but teach. We can tell you no more, the Moon is warning us that time is short."

"Princess Yue," Mitsu looked up at the silver disc in the sky. "Thank you for your vigilance, First Bender," Mitsu bowed and buried the white cloth, then put out the candles. The forest went dark, but it didn't seem so dark this time as Mitsu flew out of the forested part of Ember Island and towards the house of Zhao. A quick change and he was at the door of Lo and Li, dressed in what the locals might for a night out. An excited Ty Lee opened the door, smiling as always, with her friends behind her.


	24. Chapter 24 : Party People

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

The attendants looked like circus flat nosed gibbons as they tried to catch every bit of cutlery thrown by Azula. Ty Lee laughed while Mai simply sat in another room. Zuko was the only one trying to calm his sister down after the 'shame' of losing the Kuai Ball game and being forced to be the opposing captain's date as well.

"Hey, this is your masters' house! Cut it out!" Zuko barely dodged a flying vase that one of the attendants barely caught with a diving motion a kingfisher would have been proud of.

"Ooh, that arrogant, pompous little…" she sent a bolt of lightning out the window before sitting cross-legged and hanging her head. Zuko looked confused but Ty Lee cart wheeled to her friend's side.

"This is exciting! A boy's finally asked Azula out and hasn't had his hair burned off!" she smiled.

"She didn't get the chance," Zuko picked an attendant off the floor.

"I don't know what to wear…" the princess mumbled.

"Did we hear _dat_e?" Lo and Li poked their heads around the corner.

"It's the Outlander, as Azula calls him! Isn't that romantic?" Ty Lee was about to explode in sheer saccharine goodness.

"Oh, we had a saying when we were your age," Lo looked at her sister and their both nodded. "To the _party_!" they added a multi stage handshake and head bob.

"To the party indeed," Mitsu could be heard from his window on the other side. The two houses were barely five feet apart, with hints that they were once one.

"Come on in, young man and have tea with us!" Li waved and flashed her few remaining teeth.

"No, Master!" Azula scampered towards the wall. "I am not having tea with that…foreigner!"

"You won't get rabies," Mitsu grinned as he landed on the floor, having leapt through the window. "Hey there, cuteness," he put his finger underneath Ty Lee's chin, making her blush.

"If I was eighty years younger," Lo sighed.

"Tea will be served shortly, youngsters," Li pulled her sister out of the room.

Azula got up and formed a tongue of blue fire from her index finger, pointing it Mitsu. "You have _some_ nerve coming here to our house and getting tea."

"This isn't your house, this is Li and Lo's house," Mitsu put his arm around Ty Lee's shoulders. "Besides, we can chat all we like later at Chan's house. If you're coming."

"_I_'m coming!" Ty Lee nodded and leaned into Mitsu's chest smiling. "Wow, your chest is so tight!"

"It's not like we have anything to do later anyway," Azula growled.

"If you don't mind Ty Lee, I think _she's_ my date, so…"

"Sure!" she let him go and clasped her hands in anticipation. Azula was actually nervous, not angry, she of all people could tell. Azula was rarely uncertain, but this was one of those times.

The attendants came in with a hexagonical tea table, while another woman came in with a giant teapot with accompanying cups and wide spoons. One glowered at Azula for almost destroying her tea set but otherwise they shuffled out of the room right as Mai came in.

"Hey there," Mai dryly welcomed Mitsu.

"Afternoon," Mitsu bowed. "Aren't you the Omashu Governor's daughter?" Mitsu remembered her from a family portrait. Few people resembled their paintings in the Fire Nation, but Mai was a dead ringer for her portrait, unsmiling and with no expression from the land of the living.

"Yes I am," Mai sat upright and took the first tea.

"He sends his regards, and so does your mother."

"We call that place _New Ozai_ now, outlander," Azula sipped at her tea.

"Forgive me Princess, I am Earth Kingdom born and new names are still… new to us." Mitsu made the fist-palm gesture and took his tea.

"How's my little brother?" Mai's sudden look of concern stirred Zuko to life.

"He's fine, but that is on the word of your mother. I did not see him myself."

Mitsu took his tea bowl with both hands and cupped it into his mouth in the Fire Nation fashion, or rather as Zuko alone noticed, in _Iroh_ fashion with left hand under right.

"So how do you know Zuko?" Ty Lee cozied up to him.

"We met when he was travelling on his own in Earth territory. Dangerous guy, this prince of yours."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Azula elbowed her brother. "Dangerous to himself, you mean."

"I don't know, he fought off an elite platoon of Hammer Earthbenders by himself with no support. By the time we got to him they were all downed and he had run off. He's pretty good with a sword, too."

"Well, today's _full_ of surprises," Azula rolled her eyes and finished her tea. "Congratulations Zuzu, you have a fan."

Zuko eyed a shrimp cracker and threw it into his mouth. "I guess I do. Welcome to the group, I guess."

"We're not a 'group'," moaned Mai.

"I'm flattered, but I can't stay long. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"You're _not_ leaving!" Azula threw down her teacup, virtually silencing the room. "Uh, I mean we're just starting get to know you." She picked her cup back and put it to her mouth, although there was no tea left in it.

"I guess that's an order," Mitsu looked at Zuko and shrugged. "Got any Messenger hawks to send to the Admiral?"

"Easy," Azula clapped her hands and an attendant nodded, exiting the house shortly after. "The Tourist Office has some, you'll have one soon," she twirled her white spoon. Ty Lee grinned nervously at her rather socially inept friend.

"Let's put it this way," Mitsu stood up. "If I don't get a Hawk by tomorrow morning at first light, your hawk will be mine. The Admiral doesn't think much of the Royals apart from your father, but that's just him. I've enjoyed meeting you all and the tea, but I want to look around the island, maybe practice some uh, sand bending."

"Can I come along?" Ty Lee gripped his arm.

"Not this time, I'm afraid. In the desert we explore alone." He patted Ty Lee on the head and bowed to the others. Azula was restraining herself from exploding, while Mai flashed a stiletto knife at her in a sign of her growing impatience with the mood swinging princess.

"I'll take the window again?" Mitsu shrugged and leapt towards his own vacation house. "Remember, party at eight!" he landed silently in the courtyard of Zhao's house, shooting them a shining eye.

"Do we _have_ to come?" Mai threw a knife at the exposed part of the wall.

"What else are you going to do? Mope around all day and all night?" Azula reordered the tea set. "It'll give us someone to do."

"Azula," Ty Lee giggled, "You mean _something_ to do?"

Azula turned beet red, "what do you mean?"

The Fire Nation's way of telling time at night was a flare clock mounted on the highest point of every island; while in some houses mechanical clocks were commonplace. Zhao, a collector of clocks took them to his grave, with the funeral boat floating morosely with the ticking of several clocks, headed to its eventual sinking at the nearby naval base where a service for Zhao would be held. Mitsu noticed the flares light up for seven on the highest hill and flew low past the guard posts he had cased earlier. He swung around the hill and spotted a clearing to land.

The ground was soft and the air still, but then again this was a memorial spot. It seemed slightly neglected but was still grand, with perpetually blooming spring flowers and vines running over the sides of the clearing. It was fit for a princess and queen out of some dream, with the waning moon silently observing in the sky. No birds were around, their chirping absent from the night noises, leaving only the waves to sing for the departed.

"Ta Min, wife of Avatar Roku," Mitsu brushed a headstone aside. "Rest in peace," Mitsu gently blew over the stone tablet. "I do not seek you tonight."

He went to ground and started sweeping it with his hands, the hard stone making his fingers jiggle. The grass had penetrated the stone in some parts, but otherwise the ground was flat and that made it easier for him to find what he was looking for. A single white handkerchief was lodged in the stone, flapping about in the small breeze. Mitsu gripped it with both hands and pulled it up, exposing more of the cloth that led into the forest. He force bent the stone back down and followed the cloth into the wood. Animals were quiet as he passed by, his glowing golden eyes being the only light in the darkening wood. The cloth ended deep in the forest, tied around a tree. Mitsu took out a tinderbox and lit the four torches that surrounded the tree. Two names were on the tree, etched with two very different styles of calligraphy.

"Chao Dong of the Northern Water Tribe, Master of the Cloth." Mitsu felt the characters on the right.

"Zhan Ming of the noble house of Zhan, former Princess of the Fire Nation." He traced the left side characters.

"I have come," he reached into his hip pack and placed Sozin's headpiece in front of the tree, bowing with hands clasped.

The wind began to blow faster with the animals scattering, but Mitsu remained unmoved. The tree seemed to grow bigger as the torches burned brighter. No one lived within miles of this spot, though a distant ship would be able to spot a brief flicker of light from the shore. The torches burned yellow at first, then red, then purple, then white. Mitsu felt his spine shiver as he felt the cold descent of beings in the Spirit World.

"Welcome to our long home," a reverberating female voice rasped.

"One we built together," a soft-sounding male joined in.

"Open your eyes, young one."

Mitsu opened his eyes and saw a tall, strikingly beautiful woman dressed in white robes with a pale face, with Sozin's headpiece, glowing golden and red on her head. Beside her was a taller, slightly shrouded man in white with threads of what looked like cloth pulsing around him like paper blown in the wind.

"I am out of time, and I am lost, old ones. I cannot finish this mission." Mitsu looked at his hand. He had about one full day left before the Day of the Black Sun and then half a day for the noon eclipse. Finding and breaking Iroh out would take too long, plus there was the complication of Zuko recognizing him, though thankfully not as an Earth Kingdom Prince. He was lucky all images of him were removed from the palace in Ba Sing Se; in fact the custom was to paint portraits only after death.

"You are not lost; fate weaves strangely at times, "Chao descended first. Mitsu couldn't see his face, covered with a white cloth. "You love the heir of the headpiece like your own father, despite not spending more than a few choice months with him in your youth. The other heir you love like a brother, despite your own birth brother being there for you. Yes, this will make most men lost in thought and consequence."

"I do not know my father the King of Earth under Heaven," Mitsu stood up and looked Chao in the eye. "Iroh was the only man that ever treated me like a son, even if it was brief. Zuko is like a son to him; hence he too is my brother. I am not lost there, though he may be."

"I do understand. It was jarring, living under the roof of the Fire Lord," Chao looked at his wife. "I had to be assured daily that my life was not under threat despite the favor of the Fire Lord at the time. Oh, Kuzon! How your line has fallen into disgrace. He was a happy old man in his day, merry as could be. I would do anything for that man."

"Including fighting for his honor against my brother," Zhan descended and took her husband's arm. "That has always been the failure of my people, to strike first in the name of pride."

"Not all surely, White Phoenix," Mitsu turned to face her.

"The heir of my headpiece is more like my father than his own fathers. The Fire Nation will redeem itself some day; do not concern yourself with the morality of my people as that duty falls squarely on my heirs."

"I too, am your heir."

"Not of that persuasion. I speak of blood and of lineage. The bride of Roku lies outside, and it is her kin that will lead the Fire People to the Sun or to Hellfire. The man you call brother is of that kin."

"Zuko is a descendant of Avatar Roku?" Mitsu's eyes opened wide.

"He is _my_ descendant," Zhan descended all the way to the ground. Her eyes matched Zuko's amber, visible even with her glowing golden pupils. "Ta Min was the daughter of my daughter. Hear the words of the former Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, young prince of Ba Sing Se. Hear the words of she who left the house of the Fire Lord and joined the house of her mother out of love. Zuko will make a choice soon, one that he has delayed making in full for so long. You are to guide him should he choose wisely."

"He seems to have chosen the path of his sister."

"He is not what he seems," Chao descended to the ground. "You would do best to find out what is in his heart, for his sister is alien to us. Kin by blood, but not in spirit. I may yet be wrong, as she is but a young child."

"Go now, with our blessing and your courage," Zhan bent down to kiss Mitsu on the forehead, "We are of the Spirit World now and have some foresight; you will come here again and not learn, but teach. We can tell you no more, the Moon is warning us that time is short."

"Princess Yue," Mitsu looked up at the silver disc in the sky. "Thank you for your vigilance, First Bender," Mitsu bowed and buried the white cloth, then put out the candles. The forest went dark, but it didn't seem so dark this time as Mitsu flew out of the forested part of Ember Island and towards the house of Zhao. A quick change and he was at the door of Lo and Li, dressed in what the locals might for a night out. An excited Ty Lee opened the door, smiling as always, with her friends behind her.

"Wow, you look great!" Ty Lee instantly took his arm. "Admiral Zhao must have had some cool threads back when he was younger. Look at this!" she pointed to his sleeveless vest that did little to hide his arms and chest.

"That thing on your arm looks familiar," Azula eyed Lu Tien's jade bracelet on Mitsu's left arm.

"In the Earth Colonies we make these to show our rank," Mitsu held the dragon-crested bracelet up.

"And what _is_ your rank?" Azula was getting suspicious.

"Commander," Mitsu pointed to the characters on the vambraces. It was indeed Lu Tien's old rank and quite fortuitous, Mitsu thought.

"It's not the eighth hour yet, why are we going so early?" Mai looked up at the Sage Tower.

"Come _on_, Mai," Azula rolled her eyes and pushed Ty Lee off Mitsu. "Are you going to be my date or what?" she put her arm in his.

"As the lady commands," he felt disturbed that her skin was so soft, almost as silk. It was also cool to the touch, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. Here was the Avatar's deadliest enemy after the Fire Lord, accosting him like a new pet. Something in him oddly liked it, but he had seen her before, and the tales Aang and company told him reminded him of what she could be.

"Let's go, people," Azula waved them onwards to the path which led to Chan's house.

There was no music or even colored lanterns and the only people visible were Chan's servants sweeping up and the catering crew rushing into the kitchen area in the back. A perplexed looking Chan answered the door scratching his head.

"It's not eight yet, you guys are early," he looked over Azula's shoulder. Mitsu gave a nervous wave; Azula's grip was like iron, and he needed to get to Chan's office sooner if not later.

"We're all night party people, besides what's the term, 'party from dawn to dusk'?"

"It's 'dusk to dawn', and it's not dusk yet. Never mind, come in. The servants are just finished and the musicians have just arrived." Chan opened the door and shrugged at Ruon-Jian who still had his toothbrush in his mouth.

"Hey, you came!" he waved to Ty Lee. She waved back, clearly the only person properly enjoying themself so far. Zuko trudged in with Mai, looking indifferent. Seeing his sister with Mitsu was incredibly disturbing, and he tried to wipe any potential progress between the two from his mind. Mai was even more bored, seeing umpteen targets to knife in her head as they walked through the vast hall of the Chan residence.

"My dad's an admiral in the Fire Nation Navy, so be careful with everything in here," Chan pointed out a shelf to one of the caterers. "And don't go into that office over there; that is strictly military business."

"I'm military," Mitsu reminded Chan with the green sash.

"Of course, of course, you can go in there but don't bring anyone in, understand?" Chan pointed to the Force Bender's face before going up a flight of stairs.

"Understood, master Chan," Mitsu made a Fire Nation salute. "Jackass," he grinned.

Azula laughed slightly, nodding. "If only he knew who I was, he would be begging for his life as I torched the skin off his back."

"It would be more fun if you hit fireballs at his feet and made him run off into the ocean," Mitsu cupped the princess' chin.

"Mmm, _that_ sounds interesting," she purred, cupping his chin back. "Look, people are arriving already. Must be the eighth hour, the musicians are playing."

More people were indeed coming, including their opponents at Kuai Ball earlier in the day. The girl on the team looked menacingly at Azula, but otherwise they faded into the guest pool which rapidly grew as the hour passed. Zuko and Mai slumped down onto a chair, looking neither interested in each other or the party while Ty Lee was soon cornered by her admirers from before the Kuai Ball game. Mitsu managed to squeeze out of Azula's grip for a second and pointed to the buffet.

"I'll get us something to drink, eh?" he lifted his arm before Azula could grab him and headed in that direction. Ty Lee meanwhile had knocked out all her admirers and headed to her friend.

"Hey, looks like you finally caught one," she punched Azula in the arm.

"He's an _outlander_, Ty Lee. What would Dad think? He's not even a _Firebender_."

"Oh, but you like him! I can see it!"

"Maybe I do, but I don't exactly have the best luck with boys, remember?" Azula leaned on a post.

"Well, you could start by not intimidating him," Ty Lee shrugged, "Most boys are scared of you from the first look they get," she made a strange face.

"It's not that easy for me," Azula felt oddly exposed, despite her rather casual beach wear. "I grew up in the palace with only you guys for company- at an all-girls academy. I mean, look at _you_. How many boys ganged up on you just now?"

Ty Lee turned around to see the recovering lads all on the wall, or in one case still wobbling on the ground. "I can't help it, they like me!"

"They _think_ they like you, you're being a tease!" Azula grinned.

"I am _not_!" Ty Lee suddenly burst into tears and ran away from Azula.

"Wait!" Azula lunged for her friend, but she ran faster than the princess' arms could reach. She ran into the nearest room and continued to sob, locking the door behind her. She didn't care what room it was, Azula's sudden remark hurt her hard, even if they were best friends. She dipped her head between her knees and let the tears fall. No one, not even Azula or Mai knew why she cried, and their search for her was in vain as she cried silent tears.

"You know, military only means _military only_," Mitsu quickly loaded two rolls of paper into the hollow of his miniaturized staff. He was extremely lucky that she had shut the door; otherwise the Fire Nation's best (kids) would be staring at him committing what was surely an act of treason.

"Hey, forget I said that, what's wrong?" he sat beside the acrobat.

"Azula said I was a tease, and I'm _not_!" she banged her fists on the ground.

"We have a saying at home, you can't help it if you're beautiful…and you are," he lifted her chin and wiped her tears with his sash.

"Come off it, you're the one that's teasing," she took the sash and wiped her face with it.

"No, really," he softly force bent her disturbed hair back into its pigtails. She didn't notice, but it felt nice. She felt his breath in her ear, which made her spine tingle enormously.

"You're _Azula_'s date; she'll be looking for you."

"I came here with all of you, plus I think she's the kind of girl who'd survive alone out there. Who'd hit on her and _not_ get burned?" Mitsu laughed. Ty Lee resisted at first but also laughed in the end, covering her mouth.

"Why are you so nice to us?" she was almost whispering as the party music went up in tempo. "Is it because of Zuko?"

"I think everyone deserves to have someone be nice to them," he stroked the unbraided part of her hair. "Now stop crying, she didn't mean it I'm sure. I don't have to know why it upset you, but you aren't really a tease. Remember…"

"You can't help it if you're beautiful, I'd better not tell that one to Azula," she giggled.

"Not crying anymore?" Mitsu helped her up and wrapped the sash around his waist.

"No, but I got your sash all wet…"

"Then I'll have a memory of you for a while," Mitsu looked her square in the eyes.

"_This _is a memory," she looked up and their lips met, her nimble arms wrapped around his neck. His arms instinctively closed around Ty Lee's waist as he opened his mouth for a deeper kiss, which she initially pulled her head back for but instantly accepted a moment later. They parted with a slight pop and a joined exhalation, eyes still locked.

"I'll bring that one all the way home," Mitsu fought to let go of Ty Lee's hands.

"I never really noticed your eyes, they're really beautiful," she couldn't find the energy to release his fingers. "Like your aura."

"The aura is inherited, I'm afraid. But you're not half bad yourself, Grey Clown."

Ty Lee giggled, "That's a cheeky name, but I like it. Come on, before Azula burns down the house looking for you. Did you get what you wanted in here?"

Mitsu suddenly remembered the airship charts and the Fire Nation map. "Yes, I have what the Admiral wanted me to get. Who'd have thought I'd come here during a party?"

"There you are," Azula held two cups of cold orange juice in her hand as the two came up to her . "Ty Lee, I'm sorry about what I said just now, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, Mitsu, these things happen."

"I'm sure they do," Mitsu tapped his staff to make sure the documents were inside and slapped his forehead.

"The food, I forgot the food!" he was about to run off again but Azula grabbed his arm.

"Oh no, you don't. Come out to the balcony with me, the moon is beautiful."

Mitsu looked ruefully at Ty Lee, who touched her light pink lips with her fingertips, still feeling the earlier kiss. Zuko was getting agitated at the food line while Mai was perking up slightly as more boys began to take notice of her.

"Usually it's Ty Lee who gets the boy and me the one left standing," Azula crossed her arms but smiled. "I think I have to hold on to the boy this time."

The beach breeze blew softly over them, moving the torch fire and making it dance. Yue watched silently as the Fire Princess stood face to face with her counterpart in the Earth Kingdom, though to her he was an outlander who was somehow arousing her interest.

"You understand, don't you? Or is there someone else back home?" Azula leant forward on the wooden balcony, her voice slightly shaky but still confident.

"There's no one back home, it's just sand for miles and miles with the odd rock here and there. It's all Sandy Land!" Mitsu force bent some of the beach sand upwards but lost his grip, making it fall flat on the floor. Kuei and the Pasha would probably be laughing behind a bush if they were watching, but then again they were Earthbenders.

"People said, if you've seen one dune you've seen them all."

Azula made a strange laugh, another one of Ty Lee's tips gone wrong for the closeted child of the Royal Family. Mitsu leaned beside her as they both stared at the moon and the stars in the cloudless sky. A couple of volcanoes rumbled in the distance while the naval base was softly lit for Admiral Zhao's memorial.

"You know, you're not half bad yourself," he joined shoulders with Azula. "They make them beautifully over at the palace, don't they?" he stroked her cheek.

"Yes, only the best," Azula began to stammer.

"_How_ beautiful?" he moved his face closer to hers.

"_Very_," she acknowledged the hint and joined her lips with his. His eyes were even more golden than hers, the night sky making them glow brighter like dazzling amber. His breath was exquisite while his lips were slightly rough but very warm. If she had known that there were boys like this in the Earth Kingdom, she would have conquered Ba Sing Se much earlier!

"That was ... wonderful!" she opened her eyes as they met Mitsu's. Something in her snapped, however and she took two steps back and laughed maniacally.

"You and me, we will become the strongest couple in the Fire Nation! No one will stop us! All will burn before us!" she crafted two large globes of blue fire on her hands while a nearby torch also glowed blue in compliance with her.

"I only need you," he calmly put his hands over hers, extinguishing the flames and turning the torch back to normal. She felt incredibly helpless at his touch, his large hands threatening to crush hers as his eyes glowed even brighter. Despite being similar height she tiptoed, expecting another kiss.

"I only need you to remember this."

Her hands, far from being caressed were being actually crushed by his, sending her into spasms of pain. Her arms refused to obey her commands as hurtful sensations ran down her nervous system, making her knees buckle and head lower.

"What is the meaning of this!" she felt a sharp pull on her shoulders towards the ground, her neck seemingly crushed underfoot. That, despite his two feet being clearly on the ground.

"I want you to remember that you should never make a nice girl like Ty Lee cry ever again, and that to people who don't know you, you're just a scared little girl." His Force Bending pushed Azula down even further, though her hands were still firmly in his grip.

"If you hurt her again, you'll be Firebending out of your arm sockets, understand?" he yanked at her left arm to illustrate his point.

"Understood," she rasped as he released her, leaving the princess slumped to the ground.

"What happened here?" Ty Lee was aghast as she came through the balcony door.

"I just… had a little talk with her. She's really sorry for calling you a tease, and this time she means it."

Azula hissed but nodded after the pain in her left arm somehow came back with a single look from Mitsu. "Yes, I'm really sorry," she looked away from them.

"Look, Mitsu there's a problem at the party, come quick!" Ty Lee took his arm and they were off to the hallway.

Azula gripped her shoulder and her eyes wanted to burn everything down. How dare he? What trick of Earthbending was that? Who was he to tell her how to treat her friends? A sudden realization came to her, that he was in fact speaking her language, that of intimidation and aggression. She laughed to herself at the irony, that the first boy to intimidate _her_ had effectively handed her first loss to her. She gripped her knees as she sat alone on the balcony, laughing to herself and the stars.

"Stop hitting on my girlfriend!" Zuko and Ruon-Jian were eye to eye, Zuko's buffet platter somewhere on the floor with its contents splattered all over the hallway. A broken vase brought Chan to the floor, upset to the utmost at the destruction wrought by the Fire Prince.

"That was my nana's vase!" the admiral's son piped, pulling his hair. "Dad doesn't know I'm having this party, how am I going to explain this to him?"

Zuko however was ignoring him as Mai refused to look at him. "You did it again, Zuko!" she spun on him. "You're getting angry over something small like a _boy_ talking to me! Your temper is getting the better of you!" the normally reserved Mai blasted.

"Temper? At least I _have_ emotions, you're just this big… blah!" Zuko threw his hands up in the air.

"It's over, Zuko," Mai crossed her arms and looked away, a small tear in the corner of her eye.

"You heard her, loser! Get out of here!" Ruon-Jian pointed to the front door.

"I was just leaving," Zuko hung his head and made the trek to the doorway, the partygoers oblivious to his exit. Ruon-Jian tried to put his arm around Mai's shoulder but she shrugged him off, her tears almost erupting.

"What did you just call my friend?" Mitsu grabbed the Fire Nation youth's arm.

"A loser, he can't even handle-" Ruon-Jian was cut off by his own screaming as Mitsu hurled him through the open window beside the front door. Zuko stopped to examine the pained boy, two familiar footsteps coming beside him.

"Where can we talk where no one will listen?" Mitsu looked at the morose prince.

"I know just the place," Zuko and Mitsu walked over the prone Ruon-Jian, who was nursing his bruised ribs and ego. Mai was with Ty Lee, who sat her down and offered words of comfort.

"Don't cry please, Mai you're going to make me cry as well," Ty Lee gave her friend a napkin. She looked over Mai's shoulder to see Mitsu walk off with Zuko. "He's in good hands, and you're with me, so don't cry okay?"

Mai silently nodded and silently sipped from a glass another girl had given her. She already knew that Zuko didn't mean what he said, but it was the fact that he actually said it that hurt. She thought of Lo and Li's words about the beach and wondered if they applied to the entire island.


	25. Chapter 25:The Beachy Truth

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Nice place," Mitsu swung a window pane outward, only to have it break off and land near his foot.

"This was our family vacation home when we were younger. A long time ago, when we were _happy_, "Zuko ran his hand over his untied hair and looked over the portrait of his family that adorned the front room of the otherwise ramshackle chalet. The portrait had him as a little boy and Azula as a mere cherub in her mother's arms, with Fire Lord Ozai in the center, the first time Mitsu saw the face of the man threatening the entire world. He was oddly content, hardly looking like the warlord who almost wiped out the Earth and Water peoples from the face of the planet.

"That was before he became the Fire Lord," Zuko took the picture down from the wall and out of its frame. "When we were just the second prince's family," Zuko reached in and pulled out another picture, this one of Iroh and Lu Tien.

"A long time ago," Mitsu gently slipped the picture of his friend out of its crumbling frame, while Zuko took Iroh's picture and folded it into his pocket.

"It was much simpler back then; we'd just come here and enjoy the breeze, which made my mom so happy. Azula even played with my uncle." Zuko sat on a withered bench, his hands between his knees.

"This place used to have happy memories for you, but I only see hate for it now. What exactly happened to you in Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko shook his head and stood up. "I thought I made a choice that would make everything all okay, one that would help solve my problems. I fought the Avatar when I should have…I don't know…maybe I should have just run away."

"That's not how a prince should behave, especially not a Firebender prince. Running away is not in your culture," Mitsu leaned on a support pillar and threw the piece of the window towards the sea.

"That's just it; I thought I could get honor and praise from my father by doing that. Instead I feel worse than ever. What did you do when we took over the city?"

"I … ran away with some refugees of course. The Earth Kingdom is a big place; it can't be taken that easily."

"That's good, at least I know you're not one of those vile Commandoes," Zuko exhaled. "But why are you wearing the uniform of one here, on Ember Island?"

"I can't get here without 'showing fire', as your people put it. "Back to your story, I guess you didn't get the trust and honors you thought you could. I bet your father just brushed you aside without so much as a thank you."

"Exactly," Zuko crossed his arms and returned to the bench. "What's wrong with me, I can't even hold on to my girlfriend, let alone any kind of reputation."

"She'll come around, just don't lie to her about how you feel," Mitsu looked up at the Moon, "but there's something you have to know, you need to see this…" his hand was on the headpiece of Roku in his pocket, but the sight of Azula coming up the walkway let his empty hand out.

"I knew I'd find you two here. Come on, the others are on the beach. Let's get out of here, this place is depressing," she shot Mitsu a look, nursing her wounded hands. "I hope everyone's learned their lesson today, I know I have."

"What is it you want me to know?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing, we have to see the others first."

The beach was utterly deserted thanks to the party at Chan's, leaving the five to sit around a fire Azula had started earlier. Ty Lee welcomed the three descending from the old vacation house, happy that they had finally reunited after the incidents earlier.

"The fire needs some kindling," she pointed to the coconut-leaf fed flames.

"There's plenty of stuff to burn from up there," Zuko pointed. He pulled out the family portrait and threw it onto the fire. Azula stirred slightly but looked at the fire, raising one hand to let it feed on the tapestry. Her blue flames mixed with the natural yellow and raised the radius of the fire, making it almost glow white. She detested the house almost as much as Zuko did, though she never shared her reasons with anyone.

"We're all here," Mai drawled sitting on a log, sipping a beverage lifted from the party. The corner of her eyes met Zuko's but otherwise she did not stir.

"Glad you could join us," Ty Lee smiled at Mitsu who sat next to her. Azula sat alone on Mitsu's right, wondering how he could have brought her to her knees earlier but also feeling something swirling around in her chest as the fire crackled.

"They kicked you all out?" Mitsu leaned on a rock behind the log.

"We left after you hurled one of the hosts out the window," Mai swallowed the last of her drink. "But thank you," she bowed her head without smiling.

"He does a judo flip and gets thanks, and _I'm_ the one with a temper?"

"You're _always_ angry!" Mai stood up and faced Zuko. "What are you so angry about?"

"Yeah Zuko, who are you angry at, Dad?" Azula raised an eyebrow.

"No!" he turned to them and shook his head.

"Me?"

"No!"

"Your uncle?" Ty Lee also got the negative answer.

"Me?" Mai asked slowly.

"No, definitely not you," Zuko spoke softly and his expression softened.

"Then who _are_ you angry at, brother?" Azula crossed her arms.

"I'm angry at… MYSELF! I don't know what is wrong and right anymore, I feel like no one cares anymore, like I have no more purpose in this world! All I ever do is mess up and I don't know how to do anything about it!"

The fire roared in response, turning Ty Lee's attempt at roasting a marshmallow to ash.

"That's not true, Zuko. _I_ care about you," Mai put her arms around his back and gave him a gentle kiss and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Pathetic," Azula snorted.

"Hey, what's with you two?" Ty Lee noticed Mitsu and Azula were looking in different directions despite sitting right next to each other. "Come on, we can't have both couples arguing now!"

"Says the girl who needs 10 boy friends a week," Mai pointed to the surprised Ty Lee.

"You think you know people that well eh, circus freak?" Zuko joined in.

"You don't know what it's like, coming from where I come from! I have six sisters who are exactly like me, that's why I ran away to the circus! _Circus freak_ is a compliment!" she began sobbing again.

"Oh?" Mai loosened her hair pin and pointed it at Ty Lee. "_You_ try growing up an only child to an overly ambitious politician. Don't do this, don't do that, don't say this, and don't do that, living every single day of my life like I owed the world something. You know how hard it is to express myself?"

"I like it when you express yourself," Zuko tried to lighten the mood.

"I'm still mad at you," Mai crossed her arms but her tone was uncharacteristically sweet.

"What are you all looking at me for?" Azula shot up from her log. "If you're looking for a sob story about how Mother loved Zuko more than me, you're not going to get it! My own mother…she called me a _monster_. It was true of course, but it still hurt." Azula looked at her reflection in the fire. "And what about you, super hero knight man?"

"You're not a monster; you were just stronger than other children. That's why your mother didn't seem to coddle you so much. You were already able to carry yourself in this world," Mitsu stared blankly at the fire.

"Hey, you don't know me or my mother, and that's not safe territory," Azula pointed at Mitsu.

"My mother died giving birth to me. My father cursed me for eternity, only to die when I was two. I grew up at the mercy of people who took advantage of me and my brother endlessly. I thought I was the stronger person among the both of us and my brother the weakling for just agreeing to everything they said. In the end…he was the one who ended up carrying the can for us both. It got worse when I got _these_ at twelve," he pointed at his glowing eyes.

"I was sent to die in the desert for being a freak," he looked at Ty Lee. "Out there I wasn't strong at all, I was just alone and abandoned with only my attitude to keep me company."

"People at home called me a monster from the Seven Hells," he looked at Azula. "I was supposed to be some harbinger of disaster, of an evil heretical sect, some curse." She wanted to say something, but something in his eyes met with something in hers, and she sat up to listen.

"All throughout, until I was exiled from my home, only my brother ever cared for me. Now I'm not even close to him, at least not as much as I want to be. He's another person now that we're older. So I do kind of know how you feel," he looked at Azula, who turned away.

"I don't care what Zuko is like," she murmured. "I only wanted my mother to like me more, like my father. She didn't even take me to the plays at the Ember Island Theater like she did with you, Zuzu. I was her _daughter,_ for the Fire Lord's sake!"

"I'm sorry; I always asked why she never took you. She always said Dad always didn't let you come and she stopped asking him eventually," Zuko looked northwards towards the Theater, where most of his happy memories on this island were.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Azula turned away from the whole group.

"Is that why you joined the Commandoes Mitsu, to make a fresh start?" asked Mai, "I live in Omashu when school isn't in session and I only ever hear of the worst being recruited into that division."

"I've _been _the worst, Mai. The worst brother, the worst friend, the worst son. That's exactly who 'we' are back home."

"Don't talk like that," Ty Lee leaned into him. "You were a great friend tonight, wasn't he, guys?"

"Like a brother," Zuko smiled wide for the first time that night. "I'm sorry Mai, I was a real jerk up there," he took his girlfriend's hand and kissed it. "It's not a sea shell, but they're a Fire dime a dozen here."

"Thank you Zuko," she hugged him and felt him be less tense for the first time in what felt like ages. "This is much better than a sea shell, or ice cream."

"What do you want…?" Azula looked at Mitsu's outstretched hand. "I don't want my hands crushed again, no thank you."

"Peace. That nobody up there kicked us all out and to make things worse he's using his father's name and fame to do it. It's no good if we just snipe at each other."

"Fine," she took his hand. "But _I'm_ in charge this time. Everyone follow me!" Azula broke into a march, walking barefoot up the hill.

"Wow, Lo and Li were right, this beach has made us realize things we never knew about each other!" Ty Lee did a static cartwheel. "I feel so much better!"

"You still haven't given whatever it was to me," Zuko walked up the path, noticing the bulge in Mitsu's pocket.

"You have to ask your uncle," Mitsu ran to catch up to Azula, who had a wicked look in her eye.

The party was getting hotter now, with someone having spiked the fruit drinks and the teenagers either inebriated or exhausted from all the dancing and eating. A bleary eyed Chan opened to door to a grinning Azula, though his blurred vision didn't help much.

"Who…who are you? Oh, you're those people that put Ruon-Jian in the hospital…get…get…out!" Chan stumbled as he reached for the door handle, but Azula kicked his legs out from under him. Ty Lee suddenly appeared in the skylight and smashed it, landing perfectly on the roof's support beam. The party guests ran for their lives as Zuko and Mai joined in, knives and kicks breaking everything in sight. Mitsu stood at the door, arms crossed and staring intently at Chan.

"Hey, you're my father's soldier! I order you, stop this!"

"You're not even in the army," Mitsu shoved Chan into a fish tank, where Chan managed to get his head stuck in the filter pump.

"No!" Chan's words came out as the bubbles popped.

"Now _this_ is fun!" Azula punched holes in the wall portraits of Chan's ancestors. "Hey outlander, why don't you join us?"

"Best for last, beach bum," he leaned on the doorway's dome-like arch. "Everyone out …that includes you."

Chan complied, gargling his acceptance as he fled with the fish tank still on his head.

"Everyone's out," Ty Lee looked at the relaxed Mitsu.

"Goodnight, Chan." He closed his eyes and focused on the stilts that held up the building on the cliff and slowly nails began popping out, making the building lean perilously towards the sea.

"No!" Chan ran back into the house, making it lean downward more.

"Do the honors, Prince Zuko?" Mai handed Zuko a rock. Zuko smiled and tossed the pebble into the house, landing it in the fish tank.

"My pleasure, Lady Mai," he bowed.

The house swung violently up and down as the last nails in the foundation fought gravity, a losing battle that eventually had the entire building crashing into the nearby ocean, a non-too pleased Chan cursing them from the ocean surface.

"That showed him!" Azula grinned and high fived Mitsu. She realized what she had done and quickly brushed her hands, despite the blush she was also trying to hide.

"Admiral Chan's not going to be happy," Zuko crossed his arms.

"Speaking of which, it's the eleventh hour. Those old twins are probably looking for you," Mitsu pointed to the vacation house, which had lit all its lanterns after the building collapse had awakened the whole island.

"You can stay the night over at ours! It'll be so much fun!" Ty Lee put her arm in Mitsu's.

"Find the message," Mitsu looked at Zuko. "And you, next time we go out alone!" he smiled at Ty Lee, who enthusiastically nodded back.

"Thanks for the great party, people. But I have to run!" Mitsu suddenly assumed stance and sent a wave of kinetic force at the Fire Nation gang that sent them all flying head first into the ocean floor beside a shocked Chan.

"What is going _on_ here?" Azula thrashed about in the water. "First he plays nice with us and then he shoves us all into the water with his stupid Earthbending!"

"That wasn't Earthbending…." Ty Lee muttered to herself. "I've seen that before…" Ba Sing Se and the giant drill came to mind, the masked man and his heavy, painful staff blocking all her moves. She opened her mouth to declare it, but closed it right back, smiling to herself. "He kissed me…"

"Hey, what are you kids doing with a broken house in the water at this time of night?" a navy patrol boat flashed a lantern at their location. "Did I just say 'broken house in the water?" the patrolman asked himself.

The lights in Zhao's house dimmed, a lone shadow exiting via the skylight with a bag of items. A group of Navy boats was now in the bay, answering a distress beacon sent by one of their own, with several teenagers apparently stuck in the water amongst the wreckage of a beach house. The whole island was gawking at Azula and her companions, giving ample time for Mitsu to make his exit. The Commando outfit story was total malarkey; with Force Bending everything was as light as a feather. Mitsu smiled to himself as he flew away from the commotion, looking for the airship's telltale beacon. The Fire Nation's main islands soon loomed before him, a brightly lit set of cities and downs that would simply would have taken one's breath away should they have been able to see it from that viewpoint.

After an hour of searching Mitsu finally spotted the flickering yellow signal he was looking for and landed on the deck of the hidden airship, nestled above some cloud cover supplied by a local volcano. The Sand Benders quite cleverly manipulated the volcanic ash to surround the ship, avoiding any breath issues while keeping the ship hidden. Kuei got out to embrace his brother, who was oddly smiling.

"Where have you been? You're a day late! I was getting jittery!" the former Earth King clenched his fists.

"I was delayed at Chan's place. Listen, we have to proceed quickly. We only have one day before Aang will probably arrive. I need to get Iroh out of that prison as soon as possible."

"You're in luck, we've intercepted some Hawks, and they say that the great meeting of counselors is over, which means lesser security on the island. You have the map, I presume."

"Right here," Mitsu pulled the cloth map out of the hollow of his staff. "Iroh is here, at the southwestern tower. Right now…"

"Right now you need to sleep," Kuei picked up his exhausted brother.

"No, we need to carry on. Who knows what they'll do to Iroh if we delay!"

"They won't touch him; he's royalty still to many people in the Fire Nation. Now you get a few hours of sleep, and then break him out in the early morning when the guards are sleepiest. You can't do this looking like you just partied the night away! Now go to sleep, your Earth King commands you!"

"How did you…" Mitsu drifted off to sleep, collapsing right there on the deck.

"It's Ember Island, you idiot," Kuei lifted his younger brother up. "You think you're the only one who reads books? Next time, bring your big brother!" he smiled.

Mitsu finally felt the drowsiness take him over as the realization that he hadn't really slept in four days had finally dawned on him. It was not that he wasn't allowed to sleep underneath Omashu, but that Bumi even cackled in his sleep, something that he wished Kuei would sign an ordinance against. It might not have worked on an accomplished Earthbender like Bumi, but at least he would get the point. The next thing he saw, after a dream of stars and swirling wind was the dawn sun peeking over the volcano, the pale red light mirrored in the swirling lava below.

"Go now, lord," one of the Sand Bender crew pointed to the monolithic palace. "We will move this ship as you ordered."

Mitsu bowed and came to his feet, crackling his bones and noticed the commando armor in the corner, neatly propped up.

"That's useless in the Fire Nation, you'll have to get in the old fashioned way," Kuei had also ditched the leather armor, now dressed in simple red robes the crew had found somewhere in the balloon. "Something bothers me about this thing, and the documents you brought."

"This airship is supposed to be a coal refueler. That means the actual airships are much bigger and could probably carry more than twenty people," Mitsu pored over the plans, which were laid out across a table in what he figured were the captain's quarters, converted to be his makeshift bedroom. "With Firebenders, they could rain down showers of flame. Chan wasn't kidding when he said we'd all burn," Mitsu rolled up the paper to reveal the map underneath. "It's the morning before the eclipse," he pointed to the capital's harbor, which was protected by high stone battlements and multiple tank squadrons.

"You will have this one chance to find Iroh. If you don't find him one hour before midday, you have to get out of there or join the invasion if it's already happened. I don't know how they're going to get past _this_, though," Kuei tapped something called the Gates of Azulon, indicated by a lone statue on the map. "It's a net that they can set on fire to trap ships."

"The Water Tribe will have no chance of invading that way. But with Sokka and his father on board, who knows what they'll try," Mitsu grabbed his heavy staff.

Kuei formed a thought bubble over his head, with many crazy ideas including a massive catapult that would launch everyone over the ocean, a massive water tunnel made by Waterbenders, a Serpent carrying everyone, Aang using his full power and simply pulling the Fire Nation towards him and many more.

"I've barely met the guy; I already think he's crazy."

"I'm the crazy one today, wish me luck!" Mitsu opened a window and leapt out. He smiled to himself, knowing that his brother wasn't one he had to worry about anymore and vice versa. They would do their jobs, and that was it. Kuei looked down at his diving brother and thought the same thing, nodding in acknowledgement as he closed the port window. There was no Dai Li, no Royal Guard, no Avatar and not even Bosco to guide him now. Kuei felt the world become much heavier on his shoulders, prompting looks from the Sand Benders on board.

"Your Majesty?" one of them worryingly came to him. Kuei looked at the fearful young man and straightened his back, raising his shoulders to their full height. He seemed to grow taller than everyone, a mysterious shadow falling on the crew. Shin Kuei adjusted his spectacles and his mouth opened with a new voice

"I am the King of Earth under Heaven," he repeated the vow he made when he was only four. "The stones will be my hands, the mountains will be my heart and the people will be my soul. The valleys shall be my breath and the desert shall be my skin. I am Kuei, King of the Earth!" he hammered his foot on the wooden floor.

The crew all went on bended knee, noticing that for the first time the Earth King had mentioned their home. The sentries watching the lone balloon from their towers noticed that volcanoes were erupting more loudly than normal in the distance; on Crescent Island the Avatar temple shook mightily, lava seeping slowly out of new cracks. Bumi felt his city rumble in apparent reply, while Toph Bei Fong's heart beat twice as fast in an instant, the sensation akin to a wave of power washing over her. Badger Mole owners found the animals non-responsive to music as they all bowed to an unseen force. Aang, practicing some Earthbending with Haru and his father Tyro felt a, excited sensation from his past lives while the two men felt themselves tingling slightly. As he was mere inches away from the Fire Nation Palace grounds Mitsu smiled, a tear running down his cheek.

"Welcome back, Shin."

"Hey, where is that thing going?" a palace sentry looked at the balloon, which had shifted trajectory to the docks. "The airships aren't going there yet!"

"Neither are you," Mitsu's arm grabbed him and chucked him out the window of his lookout tower, leaving him to hold on for dear life on the railing outside. The other guard grabbed his spear, but the heavy staff blindsided him and sent him crashing to the ground with a broken arm.

"Hey, what gives?"

"Where is the Traitor's Tower?" Mitsu grabbed the guard's collar.

"It's the black one among all the four," the guard pointed to the Palace grounds, "near the main prison but with more guards! What do you want there?"

"The man who should be king," Mitsu dropped the man and snapped his spear in two.

"Nonsense, no one is there! No one's ever been there!"

Mitsu turned on his heels and picked up the man again. "What the hell do you mean?"

"You're talking about Iroh, aren't you? He's not there! They say he ran away from Ba Sing Se! Hell, I'd _help_ you find him in the tower if I could!"

"What do you mean now, Fire Nation scum?"

The man raised the sleeve of his broken left arm to reveal a tattoo inked with rough characters. "457th Brigade, Left Formation Wing… Sergeant Wu reporting!" he hissed through the pain of his arm.

Mitsu's eyes went wide open. The 457th was Lu Tien and Iroh's brigade from six years back. "I'd help you find him, and end this stupid war…" the man stopped struggling against Mitsu and slumped down with a tired breath. "Oh, General Iroh, where are you, we need you more than ever now!"

"What are you blabbering about? Guards!" the other sentry tried to call out from the tower railings he was hanging from. "We have treason here! You can join Iroh in the Black Tower!"

"Shut up," Mitsu force bent the metal railing around his mouth, leaving the second guard with only one hand to grip the unbent part of the railing as vertigo set in and he fainted.

"Look, he's really in the Black Tower," Mitsu looked Wu in the eye. "I'm getting him out now, I promise," he set the man upright and took the speaking tube.

"Central alert, there's been an altercation between Sergeants Wu and …" he looked at Wu.

"Chun. Private Chun."

"…between Sergeant Wu and Private Chun, request medical support immediately." Mitsu nodded at the guard.

"Who is this then?" a voice came over the tube.

"It's me, you idiot!" Wu yelled at the speaking tube. "I was just being formal! Get me a medic, that idiot's broken my arm and fallen off the tower!"

"Yes, sir!" the man on the other end cut himself off. "Stupid newbie," he was heard again.

"Go and rescue the Dragon of the West!" Wu gripped his arm and leaned on the wall.

Mitsu neither nodded and shot himself at the black tower, remembering that Iroh wasn't the only one to have remembered Ba Sing Se, nor was he the only person of similar mind after the 500 day siege. Wu was a scared private back then, but he hadn't lost faith in his general, even when he ordered a retreat. Others grumbled and moaned but Wu sat silent on his Ostrich Horse, knowing that Iroh shared the feeling of many of his men; there was no point in fighting the mighty Earth Kingdom at its own gates. Many of the men hadn't even seen the other Fire Nation Islands, let alone a distant and hostile place. Iroh alone knew where to go and who to talk to; such was his manner of treating the other nations. As the medics broke the tower door open, he smiled to himself.

Iroh wasn't difficult to find, as there were only four cells in the entire tower; one for entire families, two for groups of five to ten and one especially fireproofed and windowless. The Warden himself was responsible for the last one, carrying a plate of steamed rice and crudely sliced chicken meat mixed with cold peas up a spiral staircase on every day bar a sixth day. The sixth day of the week was a holiday for the Warden, so the guards brought food to the lone cell at the top of the tower. Mitsu swung his rod at the side of the tower, assuming a mid flight stance as the dust cleared. Instead of the gruff and arrogant Poon, a rather frightened looking woman was flat on her back, shielding her face.

"I'm trying to have my lunch here!" Iroh called out as he ate his extra spoonful of honeyed jam cake.

"Tired old uncle!" Mitsu force bent the female guard down and put the rocks back together, sweeping the dust up the stairs. "I've come for you!"

Mitsu's wide grin was met with a frown as Iroh kneeled, eating his lunch quietly.

"Uncle? What's going on? Come on, the other guards will be coming!"

"They won't be coming, it's Ming's shift today. She brought me some extra treats which I want to enjoy today," he chewed on an apple.

"They didn't break you, uncle! Tell me they didn't!" Mitsu shook Iroh through the bars, his eyes beginning to well up. "I'm not Zuko, but… please! I need to get you out of here!"

"No," Iroh neatly folded his napkin and put it beside his plate. "You are not Zuko, which is why I need you to leave and let him get me out," Iroh grinned. "It's okay, Ming! He is someone who also considers me a father," Iroh raised his head to meet Mitsu's. The guard dropped her Firebending stance and closed the other door behind her. "It's good to feel wanted, especially at my age."

"Uncle? I didn't know you had another nephew."

"This one made me his uncle, not the other way round. He is very forceful when seeking those that he loves," Iroh put his hand on Mitsu's head. "Like his own brothers."

"Zuko isn't coming to get you out," Mitsu closed his eyes.

"He will, thanks to Ming here leaving him a small note on his door." The guard smiled, nodding in acknowledgement.

"I don't suppose you want me to unlock the cell?"

"She's already done it," Iroh pointed to the reddening Ming.

Mitsu huffed, scratching his head. "You have a way of killing drama, tired old uncle, but I can give you another key to another door."

"Another door? You are starting to sound like that old man on the Eastern Air Temple pagoda, my son."

Mitsu reached into his hip pack and pulled out Sozin's red-gold headpiece with high golden wings that reflected different ways in the cell, radiating all inside with pure solar warmth.

"Where did you get that! " Iroh stood up and grabbed the bars of his cell. "It was lost on Roku's island more than a hundred years ago!"

"What is that, General?" Ming looked over Mitsu's shoulder. Mitsu himself had his head bent down, resembling a page offering the headpiece to Iroh.

"The headpiece of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation!" Iroh struggled to contain his breath. "Mitsu, where did you find it?"

"It was never lost, uncle. Kari Omoto recovered it from the island just before it was engulfed by the volcano. It has been in my home for over a century, along with Roku's bones. Forgive me for withholding it, but after Kari no golden eye was born until me a hundred years later."

"Kari…Omoto…" Iroh's eyes opened wide, "That is a name from deep antiquity, a mysterious friend of Roku who refused to enter the Fire Nation as the Fire Sages hated him deeply. Kari Omoto was like you, Mitsu?"

"He was an Airbender who was removed from the temples for engendering a new but dangerous technique he simply called 'The End of Air". He travelled with Roku after his Airbending training was finished at the Southern Temple, kind of like Katara and the others travel with Aang. He never came to the Fire Nation until it was too late, and Roku was but a pile of burnt flesh covered by his dragon's own corpse. He watched as Sozin destroyed his people and became a recluse in the library of the Great Rock until he died. The headpiece is all he had to remember the twelve years he spent with Roku, his best friend of all." Mitsu then leaned in and whispered something only Iroh could hear. Iroh let out a heavy breath and nodded sagely.

"I understand, you entrust me with a heavy burden, yet I feel I am the one to carry it, and when I do it will be as light as air." Iroh bowed and took the headpiece from Mitsu's outstretched palms. "I know just what to do with his piece of the past." Iroh held it up one more time and put it away in his robe.

"Oh, one more thing," Mitsu grabbed something out of his pocket. Iroh beamed and hugged the prince as he took the tea leaves.

"Straight from my tea house in Ba Sing Se," he laughed. "Ming, I think you should take the rest of the day off," he turned to his guard.

"But…"

"Take…the…rest…of…the…day…off," Iroh spoke with a harder tone.

"Please, you've proven yourself to be above many of your peers in the Fire Nation.

Please go home, out of the city if you can." Mitsu spoke gently to her. "I beg you."

Ming gave them a knowing bow and closed the door behind her, telling the relief sentries to follow her out. Mitsu smiled and bowed to Iroh.

"I know what day it is today, my son. I also know today is a foolish day to attack Ozai. He has known of this day for a decade."

"The Avatar doesn't know, and I fear he is coming here with armies of the free."

"You must bring him away from this, he is not ready!" Iroh slammed his fist on the floor. Mitsu could see that underneath his robe Iroh had lost his pudgy belly and saggy skin.

"I know, but I have no idea where to find him. Even my messenger hawk isn't back with news… hey, what the!" Mitsu was thrown to one side as the earth shook. Guards could be heard outside the tower yelling while tanks roared through the streets of the capital.

"Aang is here, you have to stop him! It is not time! Hurry, someone is coming! Go, I can handle this!" Iroh went back on his knees and turned his back. Mitsu nodded, taking one last look at the old man. Haggard though he looked, Iroh now had an aura of majesty and pride that few now noticed in the Royal Family.

"Goodbye, but not farewell…father." Mitsu turned the door open and to the right, punching through the tower wall and heading for the pillars of smoke in the distance. The sky was unusually cloudy despite the midday sun blazing away. Mitsu looked up and fear crossed his face for the first time in a long time. Chan's plans weren't mere plans; he had actually _built_ the airships! The Force Bender flew faster than he ever did before, towers and minarets pulled apart in his wake. He was but a lone comet in a meteor shower, but he knew he had to try. Seeing Iroh alive and well was the fire in his heart, seeing Kuei again was what kept his heart going. Aang making the biggest mistake of his life was what threatened to_ stop_ his heart.

Iroh heard his cell door open, two light footsteps indicating a single person.

"Uncle, what did you mean by the secrets of my ancestry?" Zuko knelt and grabbed the bars.

Iroh fingered the headpiece in his robe and smiled. "Goodbye, and not farewell…my son," he whispered to himself.

"Uncle?"

I do not speak of your _paternal_ great grandfather Sozin; I speak of your _mother's_ grandfather… Avatar Roku."

Zuko became breathless as his uncle revealed his new treasure. "Do you know what this is, Zuko?"


	26. Chapter 26 : Invasion Gone Wrong

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

The invasion seemed to be working well, Sokka thought. Aang was well on his way to the Royal Palace while the Earth Kingdom tanks were pushing though stubborn Fire Nation resistance. Katara wished the Northern Tribe benders were there as she fought the water-ballasted Fire Nation tanks singlehandedly while the Swamp Tribe Waterbenders were stuck in the rear of the assault, fending off armored convoys that had emerged from two nearby bases. Toph, the Boulder and the Hippo were leading the charge of the Earthbenders, a massive truck offloading rock after rock while deflecting fire. The young Earthbender Haru and his father Tyro blasted through wall after wall of stone with the other coal miners, though there seemed to be an endless line of Fire Nation troops ready to push them back. Southern Water Tribe warriors clad in their wolf armor charged at equally passionate Fire Nation Home Guards, elite non-benders who were nonetheless the equals of Hakoda' s men in melee combat. As he watched helplessly from Appa's relatively safe saddle, he watched his son get on the front Earth tank and point his sword towards the great gate. Hakoda watched Katara use a giant wave from the sea to smash into it, sending many Home Guards off the wall the hard way.

"That's for the Northern Tribe!" she did not forget Zhao's near-fatal assault on her cousins as she launched a second wave. Her injured father smiled to himself in pride, though the Home Guard who had shot him in the arm dealt him a hard blow before having Hakoda' s spear thrust through his neck.

"Wedge formation, we're going for it!" Sokka pointed his notched sword towards the gate, where all the Fire Nation troops gathered for what seemed to be a last stand. The three remaining Earth Kingdom tanks roared forward, the Earthbenders inside roaring with them. Sokka dismounted and his sister drove the mighty wave right into the Fire Nation troops, which allowed the tanks to tear through the steel gate with a thunderous slam. The gate fell to cheers, though the sight of Haru and Tyro running back towards them brought mixed reactions.

"Sokka, there's no one here!" Haru pointed to the oddly tranquil-looking city. Not a soul could be seen except for dead or unconscious Firebender troops. There was still commotion behind the invasion force, though Huu had brought forth a seaweed monster from the deeps to quell the rearguard.

"Then we'll head for Aang and help him as best we can," Sokka pointed to the Avatar, who was waving from the front gate of the Fire Palace, which was undamaged apart from an odd hole on one of its towers and a lone guard hanging by a rail pipe, apparently dead. Leaving Hakoda to Bato, Appa swooped under Katara and lifted them all to meet Aang.

"He must be inside!" Aang saw the moon slowly approach the sun in the sky. "Hurry, we have to get there during the eclipse!" The Avatar closed his glider and together with Toph, Katara and Sokka went forward to face his destiny, or so he thought. As Mitsu crashed and fought for breath on the Palace steps, the next sound he heard wasn't the Fire Lord Ozai dying, it was the Fire Lord Ozai laughing on top of another building altogether.

"He's not there!" Mitsu coughed as a loud, droning sound came from the clouds.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Haru picked Mitsu up as the Duke joined him. Teo, son of the Machinist drifted in on his wheelchair-glider and took off his goggles.

"We have…to…get…out of…here…" Mitsu struggled to catch his breath. Haru took his flagon of water and emptied it into Mitsu's mouth, making the prince swallow hard.

"Why do we have to get out of here?" the Duke grunted as he tried to pick up Mitsu's impossibly heavy staff.

"It's a trap! You've all come at the wrong time, the Avatar mustn't try to face the Fire Lord! He's not ready!"

Haru looked at his father. "He looked pretty ready to me."

"Look up, moustache boy," Mitsu pointed at the droning clouds, which parted to show the emblem of the Black Flame on Red and the airships that bore them. "All of you find the Avatar and get the hell out of here!" Mitsu got up and snatched the staff from the tiny Duke, who had barely been able to lift it up an inch.

"Wait, what about you?" Teo reopened his glider.

Mitsu returned his staff to his belt and launched himself up ahead of the airships, which were now opening ports and brimming with fire. Coal ships should have been behind them, but even the captain of the lead ship did not realize that one was hurtling at his bridge at speed until it exploded, tearing the iron cabin apart and drawing the ship into a dangerous decline.

Teo rubbed his eyes and motioned for Haru to push him. "A flying guy that isn't Aang?"

"That's not all," Haru pointed to someone in Mitsu's arms, looking ruefully at the crashing airship.

"By the lords of earth and rock, it's him! It's Kuei, our King!" Tyro rubbed his eyes as well. "If that is him, then…of course, I recognize them both! It's our King and his brother Prince Mitsu! The King lives! Long live the King of Earth!"

Kuei himself was far from happy, and that was not because the kamikaze run had barely stopped the other airships from advancing on the marooned invasion force. The Sand Bender crew, after removing their pouches of sand and uttering a prayer he didn't understand swore one last oath to him and shoved him off their stolen ship, knowing that no Earthbender would ever be hurt from a fall onto stone.

"I didn't even know their names," Kuei looked up at his tired but relieved brother.

"The Pasha will remember them, but we have to get as many as we can out of here!" Mitsu yelled while avoiding fire blasts and arrows from the other airships. "Start by getting those guys out of the way!" he pointed to Haru and his group, struggling to deflect the now dropping bombs and fire blast.

"Leave this to me," Kuei took a deep breath and allowed Mitsu to release him. The ground softened immediately on impact as Kuei danced over it, the stone blocks of the Fire Palace's floor rising and solidifying over the four people trapped. The blocks turned into one single wall of rock as Kuei motioned for the others to follow him. The stunned Tyro tried to bow, but Kuei yanked the old man off the ground and shook his head.

"We need to get back to the army!" Haru called out as he deflected flaming rocks.

"There's no point in that, look!" the Duke tipped his helmet up as the flaming wreck of the rock tank lay before them. The airships were merciless, dropping bombs by the dozens and when they ran out, replacing them with archers who did not need Firebending. It mattered not that the next eight minutes would render Firebenders powerless; they had embraced technology and machinery much earlier than other nations and had prepared for this event. The Water and Earth troops on the other hand were scattered helplessly as their wedge itself became wedged between two attacking formations of newly arrived tanks, and to Kuei's horror, three squadrons of Earthbending collaborators. Hakoda tried to rally his men three times, while the Swamp Tribe were stunned into silence as their chief Huu was rendered unconscious by a concussive blast from a airship bomb. The Mechanist ran for his life as his submarines exploded one by one, having no cover whatsoever from the aerial onslaught. Teo called out to his father, who finally dived under cover from an Earthbender group

"Aang, where are you?" Mitsu plowed through wall after wall as the sun began to darken. He heard no voices above or below ground, and the Royal meeting rooms were all empty. The Agni Kai arena was lifeless while the Royal Dining room was adorned for a feast but with no one present to eat anything. A knife whistled past Mitsu's face and thudded into a Fire Nation tapestry. The narrow corridors precluded flying as well, something that made Mitsu let out an annoyed grimace.

"Got you," a familiar voice came from the darkness, a fist thudding on Mitsu's ribcage. "None of your fancy bending today, pretty boy."

"Ty…Lee!" Mitsu felt the energies in his body convulse and contort, along with the building around him. The floor began to heave with one entire wall somehow blown open from its center and food flying everywhere in a symphony of culinary chaos.

"Hey, I only wanted to knock him out," Ty Lee looked at Mai.

"Looks like you knocked the planet out," Mai took her hand and led the acrobat towards the exit door. "The palace is falling apart!"

Mitsu felt his mind twist into various scenarios, from purple rhinos invading his kitchen to lightning powered flying mechanized sky bison and meditating monkeys drinking ale under a waterfall. He wiped it all out with a vision of a white light, but felt helpless afterwards, his sweating body draped on the floor like a main course would be.

"_Is this what it is like to die?"_ he asked himself as the world swirled over him.

"I didn't want to do that!" Ty Lee looked in horror as tables snapped in two and she dived to avoid flying cutlery and falling pieces of the roof.

"Next time, think first," Mai rolled behind Ty Lee as Ozai's mahogany seat crashed into the spot where she was just before.

"_I'm not dead, my life is just weird,"_ Mitsu heard himself speak. "That's it, everything is wierd, I'm the normal one!" Mitsu heard himself laughing as he raised two fingers towards the roof. "Ha, ha, take that, world!" he got up and cracked his joints. The roof flew off the Royal Dining Hall and exposed the two girls hiding under a piece of it, a laughing man with glowing golden eyes staring at them.

"Dead Hand doesn't kill people, people kill people!" Mitsu sent a force wave at Ty Lee and Mai, throwing them flat against the remaining wall. Mitsu took Ty Lee's hand and jabbed himself in the same spot she had hit him earlier and all the pain was suddenly gone.

"No fair!" Ty Lee felt her nose began to bleed.

"Now what are you doing here in this palace?" Mitsu poked at her with the staff. "Where is the Fire Lord and where is Azula?"

"She's in the throne room waiting for your bald friend," Mai spoke and rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Mitsu!" Ty Lee did her best to stare at him from her upside down position, although her nose was now really reeking of blood unable to get out.

"What is it?" Mitsu looked around for any signs to get to the throne room.

"Everything you said on Ember Island, was it true? I don't mean the part about Admiral Chan or the funeral boat, but what you said to me…" Ty Lee tensed up, though the force pinning her to the wall did not relent. Mitsu looked at her upside down eyes and leaned in close to her ear.

"You can't help it if you're beautiful," he softly whispered.

"Ty Lee, why are you crying?" Mai gruffly noticed. "He's the _enemy_? Attacking _our_ nation?"

"You're not _my_ enemy." Her whisper was barely audible, but Mitsu nodded and stroked her cheeks in reply. He was about to say something in return when something slammed against the wall behind them, flickers of static electricity making everyone's hair stand on end.

"Ozai!" Mitsu lifted the two girls away from the wall just as the Fire Lord crashed through the crumbling wall, his son just having redirected his own lightning at him in their confrontation on the other side. Apparently, the eclipse was over and Firebending was back on the menu.

"You've made your choice, son!" the Fire Lord had his back to the three in the dining room, focusing more on the near-death experience from his lightning, which people had said could shatter mountains.

"Zuko…" Mai muttered behind the broken table she hid behind. Ty Lee was on the other side of the room while Mitsu was prone in the center of the room, a stray rock having struck him in the forehead.

"What do we have here?" The Fire Lord turned to the prince, who groggily noticed him. "You are wearing my nephew's bracelet! Stealing from the Royal Family is a crime punishable by DEATH!"

Ty Lee's begging screams went unheard as Ozai ignited the room with his lightning, burning all around him and focusing specifically on the center of the room.

"No…" Ty Lee cowered behind the shattered pot that was her cover.

"NO!" Ozai stepped back as the dust cleared, the silhouette of his victim replaced with one of another. Tinkling sounds could be heard, an oddity considering that the entire palace was built of iron, steel, wood and rock.

"Who dares oppose me in my own house?" Ozai blasted flame at the man, who did not move. The flames did not touch the man, although they were strong enough to turn the flying dust into glass fragments. The tinkling continued, Ozai realizing that it was a sheet of pure _glass_ that was blocking all his fire attacks.

"Who dares oppose you? _I _dare oppose you."

Mai and Ty Lee's eyes went wide open.

"The Earth King…" they said in unison.


	27. Chapter 27: The Western Air Temple

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

Ozai could only laugh. _This_ was the Earth King? A scrawny teenager with glasses only old scholars would wear? He wondered if this wasn't one of Azula's schemes, or if the Ember Island Players had decided to do an impromptu scene.

"I cannot defeat you now, Fire Lord but that doesn't mean I will not someday," Kuei hid his trembling fingers underneath his cloak.

"The mighty ruler of Ba Sing Se, here to fight at last after what… forty generations?" Ozai laughed out loud. "Don't be ridiculous. Surrender now and I will make you a duke over your old kingdom." Ozai held out his hand. "I am not without mercy."

"_You_ will surrender, I promise. But not to me." Kuei opened the top of his glass shield and with a squat and a, earth platform-assisted jump he leapt into the sky with Mitsu on his shoulder and his brother's staff spinning upwards. His landing on Appa wasn't something he had expected, but thanked the bison for anyway.

"Your Majesty!" Katara jumped back at the sight of Kuei. "Mitsu!" she immediately went to heal the wound on his head as the staff thudded beside its master.

"What are you two doing here?" a shocked Aang looked at the brothers, frustration clearly on his face. Kuei's foot landing on it didn't improve on the frustration, although it still hurt.

"What was that for?"

"That is for Mitsu getting hurt trying to warn you!" Kuei ran his hand over his unconscious brother's forehead. "And I should rain rocks on your bald head for every Earth and Water person that got killed or hurt today!"

"Those airships…where did they come from?" Sokka looked shattered more than anyone as he looked towards the invasion point, which was by now completely overrun.

"Our dad told us all to leave, while the others held off the Fire Nation," Katara tried to focus on healing Mitsu despite fighting back tears. "We're all that's left of the invasion," she pointed to Toph, Haru, Teo and the Duke at the rear of the saddle.

"My father volunteered to be left behind. It's like he just got out of prison and walked right back in!" the young Earthbender threw a futile rock at a Fire Nation building below them.

Appa zigzagged through the flames and other weapons sent to attack them, airships being the least of his worries. Momo hid in Aang's clothing as fires singed the sky bison's white fur. Appa was fantastically brave even for one of his species, ignoring the pain of the fire launched against him and the loss of many brave companions down below.

"One last airship ahead!" Aang got up on Appa's head, preparing a tornado attack.

"No," Kuei pulled the Avatar down. "I have to do this. It was always my duty."

Kuei made a wavy motion with his arms and rotated them full circle, culminating in an upward thrust of his fists. A giant monolith burst from the ocean floor and penetrated the airship in a massive explosion. Aang held on to Appa's reins as they swung past the burning, marooned vessel with the northern horizon being in clear sight. Kuei looked back as Toph got up beside him.

"What did you just do?" Toph heard the stone rise, but in the air she couldn't feel it.

"I curse the Fire Nation as long as Ozai is king. I am the King of Earth under Heaven, and Heaven has been shaken. But no, not the Earth," he joined his feet and swung his hand in a crescent. "The Earth shaking is natural, the earth shattering is natural, hence let it shake and shatter!" The King put his hands together and the monolith moved towards the Fire Nation gates until it lodged itself firmly in the dock, dragging two airships with it as it slid towards the city. Kuei then parted his hands, making the monolith break into two identical pieces, then four, then eight until the entire dock was barred, stone imprisoning stone.

"They can't chase us!" Teo looked through Sokka's telescope. "That was amazing, your majesty!"

"That was all I could do," Kuei sat in the corner of the bison saddle as he watched his brother stir. He suddenly got up and angrily chopped the air. The entire eastern coast of the Fire Nation seemed to howl as the very ground it was on seemed to convulse and groan, coastal houses snapping on their stilts and the army at the docks bracing themselves against anything that was standing.

"You hear me? You are all _cursed_!" Kuei swiped the air with his other hand, sending the monoliths crashing down on the Fire Nation capitol and causing another tremor. He sat down again, burying his face between his knees.

"That… was awesome Earthbending!" Haru looked at his shattered sovereign.

"I didn't see anything, but it sounded great!" Toph wasn't smiling as she saw Mitsu's pained face.

"I know a place we can hide out for a while, hang on!" Aang redirected Appa northwards and over the clouds until the airships were over the horizon and gone from view. "How's he holding up, Katara?"

"He's doing okay, it looks like a concussion only. Someone tried to mess with his chi, but he's…realigned it? It can't be…"

"Ty Lee," Sokka opened his mouth at last.

"If someone is properly attuned to the earth, no one can block their chi," Toph looked at Mitsu, who was beginning to stir.

"How is that? She kept on tagging me in Ba Sing Se," Katara rubbed her shoulder.

W_aterbenders rely on fixed points and nodes to heal and attack. Earthbenders let the power of the Earth flow through them. Normally they'd follow the typical chi patterns, but with enough willpower an Earthbender can direct the chi any way they like, because they draw their power from the world itself,_ Katara suddenly remembered one of Yugoda' s lessons from the Northern Tribe.

"That's difficult, redirecting your own chi," Toph supported Mitsu's shoulders as he managed to get up and lean on the side of the saddle. "I can see people's chi when they bend or exercise, and yours is both strong and unique, hang in there." She took Mitsu's hand and smiled when he managed a smile of his own.

Appa groaned after half an hour, leaving Aang no choice but to ground him and remove the bison's heavy custom-made armor. The entire contingent slumped onto the ground that Aang had led them to, barely a few hundred miles from the Fire Nation but well past their maritime border. Kuei and Haru helped Mitsu up, but the prince rubbed the back of his head and the wound on it.

"Careful, your wound is still healing," Katara lifted some sea water and dabbed it onto a cloth. "All of you need to rest, including Appa and Momo."

"And you too, sis," Sokka offered his shoulder to Katara, who leaned instantly on it. "Where are we going, Aang?"

"The Western Air Temple, or what's left of it," Aang pointed his staff to the northern horizon.

"Let me take you," Kuei stopped walking and raised his palms upward, creating an earth platform big enough to carry even Appa.

"Let's all do it," Toph echoed his stance with Haru, and soon the three Earthbenders were gliding smoothly over the land on their makeshift earth platform. Toph noticed that the ground actually turned to soft clay when the platform touched it and hardened behind them. Kuei was the main force behind the platform, however as he propelled it with powerful arm thrusts.

"Who taught you to Earthbend like that?" Haru asked as he noticed the difference with his own, graceful movements, dubbed the 'soft' style by Earthbending Masters.

"Would you believe, I read it in a book?" Kuei rolled up his sleeves as sweat formed on his head.

"Like the dance you did with your bear?" Aang also joined in the platform pushing. "Sokka told me all about it."

"Bosco is a dancing bear," Kuei smiled as he watched Aang Earthbend. "So we practiced by dancing. I wanted masters to come and teach me proper Earthbending, but either Long Feng wouldn't allow me to, or those masters tried to extort me for cash. The Dai Li and the Army wouldn't really teach me either. So I came up with my own style, I guess," Kuei pulled his arms back as the platform met a large cliff overlooking a cloudy canyon.

"King Bumi sent you the bear," Mitsu dabbed the sweat off his brother. "Who knew that old fart really wanted to smuggle you a teacher?"

"Bumi always thinks differently to other people, that's just how his mind works. He was like that when he was _my_ age," Aang shrugged and got off the platform. "I'm glad you're alive and well, Your Majesty."

"Bumi sends his greetings," Mitsu lowered his head so Katara could affix a bandage to his head. "Omashu is back in Earth Kingdom hands."

Aang smiled, "Good old Bumi! I knew he could do it! That's the first piece of good news I've heard all week!"

"We're here!" Toph stamped the ground excitedly.

"I think your feet need an eye check," Katara looked at the beautiful, but temple-less landscape.

"No, she's right, we're here!" Aang took his glider and waved for Teo to follow him. The two glided over the cliff face, coming back up with eyes full of wonder and excitement.

"The Western Air Temple," Mitsu joined them in flight, "built under a cliff face, as the stories tell."

Appa roared and bashed his tail, also happy at the discovery. He had only been to the Western Temple twice in his life, as Sky Bison were not really necessary to travel there, unlike the Southern and Eastern Temples. Once was the Sky Bison polo qualifying tournament where the nuns of the West virtually annihilated the monks of the South 115 to 67, a certain young Airbender getting his first points at the tender age of ten. The second part was the final of the Airbending Pai Sho World Championships, where the monks of the south avenged their polo players by crushing the nuns in a straight sweep of all the games played on the giant, almost hilltop- sized board. Aang was a seven year old then, but he remembered it all with fervent excitement as the temple lay largely intact, even with the old water fountain still flowing down into the apparently bottomless canyon.

"This is where we will stay and hopefully, train," Mitsu flew upside down as Kuei and Toph walked effortlessly on the ceiling with their Earthbending. They were the only ones to see the temple in a conventional way as the pagodas were built as if they were hanging down, with roof tiles on the _underside_ of every level. This architecture was seen nowhere else in the world, products of a long forgotten people.

"I love the Earth here; I even spot something like a Lei Tai ring!" Toph pointed to a rounded platform not far from the fountain.

"Toph, that _is_ a Lei Tai ring!" Mitsu hovered over the stone disc, which lay on a rocky outcrop.

"What's an Earth Rumble Ring doing here in an Air Temple?" Sokka looked at the shrugging Duke.

"Who cares, let's get ready to rumbllleeeeeeeee!" Toph dived onto the ring and created her signature Blind Bandit Bat emblem on the floor.

"I want to be the…Boy in the Iceberg!" Aang popped up and made an Earth replica of himself and Appa stuck in the iceberg from two seasons and a hundred years before.

"Prepare to be knocked down, ice cube!" Toph made her Mantis Stance.

"Are you as dumb as you look?" Aang puffed his chest, his attempt at being the Boulder hilarious to the others.

"I'm blind, but you look dumber than I do!"

"For now, let's try to be happy," Mitsu looked at Katara, who nodded as Sokka joined in the whooping and cheering.

"We _definitely_ need a bit of happy," she looked into the fountain.


	28. Chapter 28: Planning and Playing

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

Life seemed almost normal for Aang and his motley crew of young'uns after a week or so of settling in the Western Air Temple. Aang and Teo explored the Western Air Temple wholeheartedly, marveling at its massive size and unique structure, as well as the many unique rooms that even Aang had never seen before. Many were untouched due to the Airbending-only doors, though some were sadly broken down with burn marks reminding Aang of the fate of the nuns here.

"Race you down the Hall of Statues again," Teo tapped the Avatar on the shoulder.

"No fair, you have wheels and brakes. I'm not running into Avatar Yang Chen's statue for the fourth time!" Aang jumped onto the shoulder of his predecessor's statue.

"I wonder what it was like when this place was when the people were all here," Teo looked up at the serene face of Yang Chen, who oddly mirrored Aang in many respects though it was to be expected from the Avatar.

"I rarely came here, because boys from the South usually went to the Eastern Temple for anything. I met Appa there. The boys from the North were a bit like you, daredevil gliders that made the girls here fall in love with them. Look, it's Avatar Kuruk!" Aang pointed to a mural depicting the notoriously cocky Water Tribe Avatar Airbending what looked like a tornado of roses for a group of awe struck nuns. A similar but more serious mural depicted Kyoshi in full warrior garb and make up, in formation with two Airbender nuns also holding fans. Avatar Roku was conspicuously absent from the murals, as he had completed his training at the Southern Air Temple. There was a blank spot after Kyoshi, seemingly reserved for the next Avatar to train here.

"Kuruk trained here? If the Northern murals are correct, this place was girls only," Teo ran his hand over the foot of Kuruk's statue.

"Kuruk never cared for rules, he made his own," Aang came down to the floor. "I remember his life sometimes; the world was a much more peaceful place in his day. So peaceful that he never really had to do anything," he looked out towards the canyon. "Not like me, a 13-something kid who hasn't even learned Firebending. Kuruk challenged people to Agni Kais, for goodness sake! How can I top that?"

"You can do it, Aang. I'm not an Airbender or anything, but I know you're more than enough. My dad used to tell me that all the machines in the world were useless without people to use them properly, with heart," Teo tapped his chair.

"Fate thrusts you onto its sword, Aang," Katara popped out from behind Kyoshi's statue. "Teo, can I borrow Aang for a moment? We really need to talk about what to do next."

Teo nodded, waving to the Duke who was swinging from some vines hanging from the top of the next level.

"Okay, so where are the others?" Aang walked alongside Katara as Momo perched himself on his shoulder.

"Toph, Haru and Kuei are practicing Earthbending on the flat arena and they'll join us after practice. Sokka's watching them and Mitsu's out scouting the area from the air."

Sokka's hooting and hollering echoed in the chambers behind him where Aang and Katara were, but he didn't care. This was better than the Earth Rumble IV tournament, a mess of rock slinging and dust flinging unfolding in front of his eyes.

"Go Blind Bandit! Go Earth King! Go….moustache boy!"

"_Moustache Boy_? Come on, Sokka can't you come up with a better name?" Haru threw a small pebble at him.

"Don't blame the spectators, Moustache Boy! Watch your left!"

Haru formed a diamond shaped shield as Toph's earth wave broke over him. He replied with a boulder swing, which Toph easily crushed with her left fist. Both of them raised shields against a wave of Earth that pushed them back as Kuei entered the fray.

"That's great, your Kingship!" Sokka made faux Earthbending moves.

Aang entered just as the three Earthbenders entered their respective stances; Toph with her unique Mantis stance, Haru in the standard Mountain stance with his arms at right angles to the ground while Kuei had his own unique stance, arms spread wide and body arced low.

"Wow, you all look great!" the Airbender applauded. "The King is a great Earthbender, isn't he Toph?"

"Not bad," Toph remained in her stance. "Though I have no idea what he's doing."

"Hey, that's a Waterbending-like stance," Katara rubbed her chin.

"Mitsu said the King is pretty good at Sandbending, so it's natural that he uses that kind of move.

"I'm not Sandbending," Kuei smiled without breaking stance.

"Hey, something's up with the ring…whoa!" Toph was the first to fall fromm her stance.

"I don't understand what you mean- HEY!" Haru also broke stance, looking over the edge of the ring where the stairs used to be. Sokka was a small blue blip in the distance, screaming inaudible words as he grew smaller and smaller.

"We're off the ground!" Toph felt the ground underneath her.

Aang appeared on his glider, flying under and back over the ring. "Wow! The ring is _hanging_ in mid air! Will you teach me that, your Majesty?"

"WHAT? We're hanging in the air! Help! I can't fly! I can't swim!" Toph called out to the helpless Sokka and Katara at the temple.

"Relax, Lady Bei Fong," Kuei adjusted his glasses and slowly swept his arms toward the temple. "And please Aang, it's just Kuei. A King is nothing without a throne and without subjects."

Haru, unused to odd ways of Earthbending could only sit and watch his king raise his shoulders and lower them slowly; docking the Lei Tai ring back onto the hollow, coin-like hole he had left behind. Toph scrambled for real ground, making Katara laugh. Kuei bowed to Haru, holding out his hand for Toph.

"I'm sorry, Toph. That idea just came to me a minute ago," he pulled her up. In an instant he felt her Earthbending resonate with his, the waves overlapping and clashing, covering them both. Kuei was suddenly propelled into the air, landing in a heap beside Sokka.

"She's a really sore loser, Kuei," Sokka chuckled.

"But I didn't beat her," Kuei shrugged, though he didn't notice Toph bushing from their contact.

"Your Majesty, I mean Kuei, I'm calling a meeting of yourself, Sokka, Aang and me. No offence to you Haru, but this is kind of a world-saving gang thing."

"None taken," the Earthbender bowed and ran off to join Teo and the Duke on the upper level.

"So what's the plan?" Aang sat down on a ledge overlooking the others.

"The new plan is the _old_ plan," Sokka started, "You master all four elements, confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

"I swore I'd never use Firebending again after I hurt Katara. Besides, where am I going to find a Firebending teacher? It's not like we're going to run into Jeong-Jeong again, and every other Firebender hates me!"

"You _have_ to learn Firebending, otherwise you'd never hold up in a fight against Ozai," Kuei took off his hat. "I saw it first hand in the Fire Nation capital when he used lightning. He didn't see it, but I had to use everything I had just to block his fire."

"Then you can teach me that earth conversion technique!" Aang shrugged, but the others shook their heads.

"You are the Avatar, hence you are a Firebender," Aang morosely repeated Guru Pathik's words. "I know…"

"People, sorry I'm late. There are no clocks or anything out here, I have no idea what the time is," Mitsu dropped beside his brother. Appa grunted beside him, annoyed that the one person in the party who could fly still wanted to ride on him for recon.

"You have to look at the big sundial," Aang pointed to a round pagoda on the other end of the temple complex.

"As we were saying, Aang needs a Firebending teacher," Katara brought the meeting back to order with a cough.

"I doubt those two old hags on Ember Island would teach him," Mitsu scratched his head though Momo came over and ate the bug that was bothering him.

"Jeong-Jeong isn't even _wanted_ in the Fire Nation anymore, people think he's dead," Sokka rested his chin on his hands.

"The Fire Sage that helped us is in jail," Katara hung her head.

"My past lives can't teach me either," Aang felt a small but sharp pain where Azula had shot him with lightning.

The silence was like death itself as the Avatar faced deadlock. Without a teacher, he had no clue about Firebending and even if he did, he feared that uncontrollably burning down the world was no way to do it.

"I wish old father wasn't in prison, I was two seconds from breaking him out. _He_'d make a great teacher for you," Mitsu hung his head, remembering Iroh's smile from the Black Tower.

"Iroh escaped."

The gang got up and all assumed stance; the voice was one that had unwelcome overtones for half of them.

"What are you doing here, Zuko?" Katara readied a slap wave from the fountain water.

"Look, I know you're all thinking I'm here to hurt Aang but the opposite is true. I'm here to teach him Firebending."

"Yeah, right," Toph instinctively mind-grabbed the earth underneath Zuko as a precaution.

"I'm never having you as my teacher," Aang raised his staff.

"After all the times you've tried to kill us? Not happening, Scarface," Sokka raised his boomerang.

"Look, that was a different me," Zuko pointed to his newly grown hair, "Come on Aang, you're the one that once said we could be friends. And Mitsu, you called me your brother on Ember Island."

Everyone looked at the Airbender and the Heretic, but only Mitsu broke stance and nodded.

"You broke Old Father's heart," Mitsu sheathed his staff. "I would have killed you for that. His heart is like my own now."

"I tried to break him out during the invasion but he had already escaped," Zuko turned away from them. "He would have wanted me to be here, to…help you."

"What about Mai?"

"I wrote her a letter," Zuko realized the pen was actually wedged in his belt, "I hope she understands. Look, if you guys won't take me into your group, I offer myself as a prisoner," Zuko knelt and joined his wrists. "I know I've done many things, sent an assassin after you, but…"

A face full of water was his reply, with the boomerang whizzing over his head.

"YOU sent Combustion Man after us?" Sokka now drew his black sword.

"That's not his name!"

"Zuko, get _out_ of here," Katara raised three bigger waves. Aang and Kuei stood still with only Toph breaking stance and Zuko sprawled all over the floor with only Mitsu approaching him.

"After all your lost honor and shame, you still send someone to kill Aang? You were right on Ember Island; you _still have_ no idea of right and wrong!" Mitsu threw his hands up, a look of disgust apparent on his face. "Katara is right, _get_ out of here and pray that your uncle is alive and well!"

Kuei came forward to restrain his brother, leaving a silent Toph alone behind the others. Zuko shifted his feet and scampered up the cliff stairs as he cursed himself for his poor choice of words. Mitsu got up to chase but Kuei held him back, shaking his head.

"Who was that?" Haru and the others came running.

"No one," Katara angrily returned the water to the fountain.

"Yeah, like 'no one' tries to kill us," Sokka sarcastically quipped as he picked up his boomerang.

Toph was unusually quiet, but then again she hadn't joined them when Zuko was harassing Aang from pole to pole, a constant thorn in his side. She had no grudge or pseudo-relationship with him as Mitsu did; to her Zuko was another person she barely knew. His heartbeat said he didn't lie, but then again his sister was a master liar; why couldn't he? Yet his voice was hesitant, the prince choosing his words as best he could, though Toph knew they were the wrong ones.

"Can you believe that guy?" Katara went to fetch the cooking pot.

"Yeah, he's all 'take me prisoner please!' Yeah right!" Sokka sheathed his sword.

"I am _not_ having him for a teacher!" Aang crossed his arms.

"I…have nothing to say," Kuei looked at his brother.

Toph finally spoke, slamming her foot on the ground. "Look, you are all missing the point! Aang needs a Firebending teacher and we can't think of anyone else right now! One shows up on a silver platter and we all drive him away?"

"He's lied to us before, like he lied to me in Ba Sing Se about his mother. I believed it, too." Katara bent the water from the fountain into the pot as the Duke pulled out some rice grains from Appa's side pack.

"He wasn't lying," Toph and Mitsu said simultaneously.

"I am _not_ having Zuko as my Firebending teacher, and that's final!" Aang took his glider and flew out to the other side of the temple.

"I can't believe it; I sometimes wonder who the blind one is around here!" Toph kicked at the ground and walked away from the group.

"Do you guys always fight like this?" Kuei scratched his head as Mitsu shrugged him off and flew in the opposite direction from Aang.

"When it comes to Zuko, we're all divided. Toph wasn't there when Zuko raided our village, or when he tried to kidnap Aang. I know I _hate_ him."

Kuei took the grains and spread them in the pot, using Mitsu's tinderbox to start the flames. "Hate is a really strong word. Azula took my kingdom out from under me, and for some reason I don't hate her so much."

"Well, you _should_," Katara turned the water to steam and put a wooden spoon in the pot.

"I won't," Kuei rolled up his sleeves and started washing the rice from his newly made clay pot. "I hate myself for being so weak, but even now I don't so much."

"At least Azula is consistent," Katara broke open a packet of stock.

"Zuko is confused. I say you give him a chance," Kuei expanded the pot into a wok.

"It's not that easy, Kuei. I see the face of all the Fire Nation, thanks to the big burn scar on his face. They're the ones who took my mother from me, and I will never forgive them," she slammed her pot down and wiped the steam from her face.

"Who should I be angry at then-Mitsu? _My_ mother died giving birth to him, after all." Kuei got up and cleared his hands of sticky rice grains.

"That's not what I meant. Childbirth is different. That wasn't his fault."

"It's no one's fault that they're born," Kuei placed his pot on the fire pit and put a lid on it. "Here, Aang's dish is simmering."

"Thanks for the help," Katara said dryly, staring at her reflection in the pot before shooting up suddenly.

"The Earth King can _cook_?"


	29. Chapter 29 Right is Wrong

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"This rice is great!" the Duke chomped on his dinner as the sun set on the Western Air Temple.

"You can thank Kuei for that," Katara looked at the beaming Earth King, "who knew he knew about clay pot cooking?"

"I had nothing to do in the palace, the kitchen was the only place I could do anything without the Dai Li shaking their heads."

"I bet Bosco knows how to cook too," Aang devoured his special polished rice.

"No, he only knows how to eat," Mitsu said to raucous laughter from the group.

"When you have a friend who eats, you need to know how to cook," Kuei shrugged and inhaled the soothing steam. He shot Aang a serious look that surprised him, though everyone else took it as a casual comment.

"Where's Toph?" Mitsu looked at the empty bowl next to Haru. She wasn't one to be late to dinner.

"She said she had to do some business in the woods," Sokka pinched his nose.

"This is a nun temple, there are plenty of places to do that without going into the forest," Aang pointed to a nearby sign towards the ladies' rooms.

"I'll go get her," the king put his bowl down and molded the clay into Mitsu's own bowl. "You can have the rest of my part."

Mitsu ignored him and held the new bowl away from the grasping Sokka. "No meat in here, you animal cannibal!"

"That's a big forest," Teo rolled beside Kuei. "Maybe I should go with you?"

"I'm already looking for her," Kuei turned towards the forest.

"But…you're right here…? She's… right _there_?" Teo pointed to the lush green above the temple.

Kuei tapped his feet on the ground. "I can feel her footsteps; I'm just making sure exactly where she is. It's an Earthbending thing."

"She feels the Earth with her feet, but she's blind…and you?"

"All Earthbenders feel the earth, haven't you noticed that Haru and Toph don't wear shoes?"

"_You_ wear shoes."

Kuei smiled and turned a few degrees to the west. "Right there, I'll go get her."

He felt Toph's footsteps stop and then suddenly went backwards. Those steps became dimmer and were soon accompanied by Toph's knees, then her back. There was a brief flash of red and a pained howl in the distance, which made Kuei's stroll turn into a frenzied run, calling her name. He tore into the earth as he used his bending to find her shape, which flickered and shook in a panic. The king popped up on the ground just in time to see a prone Toph, crying and grasping her feet.

"Toph! What happened to you?" he ran over and cradled her in his arms.

"Zuko," she cried on his sleeve. "I went to see him in the forest."

"You did what? Look at your feet, I have to get you to Katara!" he lifted Toph off the ground and started tunneling down with his feet. As soon as he broke through everyone noticed Toph's burned feet, Katara rushing to the fountain to fetch water.

"Toph, what happened?" Aang winced at the sight of her singed feet.

"I went to see Zuko in the forest," she wiped her tears away.

"He did this to you?" Sokka made a fist.

"Well, no…but yes…"Toph lay on her belly as Katara soaked her feet in levitated water.

"He did it with Firebending?" Aang grabbed his staff.

"He didn't mean it!" Toph winced as Katara healed her feet.

"He's got to be dealt with," Aang looked at Mitsu, who slowly nodded his head.

"Put her at the fountain," Kuei pointed to the pool of blue water. "I'll get some ointment they gave us at Omashu."

Sokka and Aang lifted their friend up and sat her down on the edge of the pool while Kuei lifted the crystalline ointment, dissolving it in water and forming a soft white gel around Toph's reddened feet.

"That's better," Kuei stroked Toph's beehive hair as he controlled the insoluble gel with his other hand.

"That feels good," Toph cooed, to Katara's surprise. She blushed and tried to hide it with her hands.

Mitsu and Katara looked at each other and shrugged. "Must be an Earthbender thing," she moved to refresh the water.

"My feet are the most important thing to me," Toph whispered to the king, who was also inexplicably turning red. "I don't know what I do without them. Right now, I don't know what to do without you…"

"Don't talk," Kuei whispered back. "For once, Toph Bei Fong, keep quiet."

"Come on, Mitsu and Sokka, we're going to hunt for Zuko," Aang opened his glider.

"No, stop!" Toph waved frantically, "it was an _accident_!"

Aang's reply was cut off by a piece of exploding rock above him which separated them. Kuei swiped the roof over them and handed Toph to the Water siblings as explosions rocked the ground over their heads.

"It's the Combustion Man!" Sokka ran for it with Katara.

"Who?" Mitsu found himself pushed further and further back by the powerful blasts.

"It's the guy _Zuko_ hired to try and kill us! He can blow things up with his _mind_!" Sokka pointed to his head.

"I know who that guy is, he's-"

Another explosion sent Mitsu hurtling to the circle arena, with two more sending Kuei rolling past Aang and the Water Tribe siblings.

"He shattered my earthen wall!"

"We're pinned down!" Aang hunkered behind Katara and Toph.

"I can't get an angle on him without being blown up!" Katara reached for the fountain.

The explosions abated for a while, leaving Aang to peek through a crack in the stone. Zuko had joined the Combustion Man on the ledge, but he was yelling at the man and even kicked out against him.

"I don't want you to hunt the Avatar anymore! I want you to stop!" the prince stood in front of the large, bald man and kicked out at him. He found himself pushed aside by the man's metallic hand despite making one more offer to double the Combustion Man's fee to turn aside.

"No more!" Zuko sent a fireball at the giant, who parried it and turned towards him, his forehead tattoo glowing. A hasty wall of flames was no protection against the extreme force of the Combustion Man and soon Zuko was flying over the edge of the cliff. The Combustion Man turned around to focus on his primary prey, seeing Sokka alone near the fountain. A whizzing sound came to his ears and he felt a sharp thud on his forehead.

"Yeah, boomerang!" Sokka grabbed the returning blade. The giant tumbled and toppled backwards only to leap back up and warm his tattoo up. "Awww, Boomerang!" the Water Tribesman leapt back behind the rock wall.

The Combustion Man drew a deep breath and blew out, yet there was no explosion. His vision began to blur and his legs began to wobble, grabbing the wall with his metal arm. He felt the fire inside him well up for his next blast, but instead it continued to flow outwards. The resultant explosion collapsed the entire rock face he was on, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. Sokka leapt back as the metallic arm clanged in front of him, bent out of shape.

"Zuko!" Mitsu let go of the vine he was hanging on from and flew to the cliff where Zuko had fallen from. To his relief the prince was hanging from a vine, out of range of the fortuitous boomerang strike.

Kuei turned to Toph, who was a bit miffed that everyone had dropped her and left her to lie on her back.

"A little help here," she sighed.

Mitsu pulled in with his new passenger, who immediately bowed upon landing. The distance between Aang and Zuko was physically six feet but from the look of desperation in Zuko's eyes it may as well have been six thousand feet. Aang stepped forward, unconsciously Airbending the space for a clear look at the Fire Nation prince.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you, Zuko." Aang bowed.

"I did the _boomerang_ thing, hello?" Sokka made a strange pose.

Zuko took a look at Mitsu and bowed back. "I'm sorry for sending that freak after you; I've been through a lot these past few years and it's been difficult to tell between right and wrong." Zuko bowed again with the hand gesture.

"I'm sorry I've burned your feet," he bowed to Toph, who was propped up on the fountain with her blackened feet pointed at him. "It was an accident, but I will take responsibility for it."

Before Toph could reply, Kuei's outstretched arm flashed past her cheek, its index finger pointed at Zuko.

"You had better take responsibility for everything, including part of the blame at Ba Sing Se. Toph isn't the only person who's been burned by your previous attempt at being good."

Aang felt his lightning wound tingle, while Toph blushed slightly behind Kuei. Zuko himself also winced, being a firsthand witness to Azula's merciless lightning strike in the Crystal Caverns.

"I know that, your Majesty," Zuko put two palms together for his fellow royal, "I aim to exercise my Firebending with the utmost caution and care. I know how Firebending has hurt people and I don't want to do that again." Gone was the morbid, stern tone that was the voice they had known for the past year; Zuko was sounding as humble as pie.

Katara somehow caressed her right hand, the memory of Aang's own Firebending escapade returning despite the fully healed hand.

Aang looked Zuko in the eye and laid down his staff. "I think you _are_ supposed to be my Firebending teacher," he turned to the others and then back to Zuko.

"Thank you, you don't know what that means to me," Zuko bowed with the fist-palm gesture.

"Wait, I have to ask everyone else first," Aang looked up at Mitsu, who only replied with a nod. Kuei looked at his brother and took a step back, bowing in agreement.

"I'd let him join," Toph grinned, "I'd love the chance to get him back for these," she wiggled her toes.

Aang turned to Sokka. "If you think it's what you need, I'm with you all the way," Sokka nodded to the Avatar.

Katara was the last one to be asked, and the air fell silent as Aang asked for her opinion.

"Fine," she finally replied after a long silence, "I trust your judgment, and there is no other choice." She shot Zuko a stare and turned to help Kuei lift Toph to another part of the stream for further healing.

"It will take time with Katara," Mitsu put his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "She holds grudges longer than most."

"I'll do my best," Zuko looked up at his friend, "Not just for Aang or the Fire Nation, but for Uncle." He wished Iroh was there to help smoothen things out with Katara and others who hated him.

"Toph is joking, you know that right?" Aang walked up to the two princes.

"Saying that, we have to start practicing as far away as possible from the others. Firebending can be dangerous if unstructured."

Aang nodded and bowed to his new _sifu_ as the sun finally set , now a sign of a new day tomorrow and possibly a new friendship.


	30. Chapter 30 The Fires We Forgot

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"HARU! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Toph howled as the earth fragment she was on flew wildly into the atmosphere.

"Sorry!" Haru flailed into the air as he struggled to control the rocks. He had just gotten a weak grip as the flying rock hovered over his head, Toph breathing heavily.

"You have to grip it from the center," Kuei was on his spread stance. He rotated his arms and the stone settled softly in front of the young male Earthbender.

"Never…do…that…again!" Toph fired a pillar at Kuei and launched him almost fifty feet in the air. The king landed with a soft plop on hastily converted mud pool. Instead of groans of pain all three laughed as Kuei bent the sludge away from his clothes.

"We've learned a lot today," Haru lifted a rock and hurled it at a makeshift target. "I can't believe I have two good teachers!"

"I'm no teacher," Kuei scratched the back of his head, "Toph's the _sifu_ here."

"I've never seen Earthbending like yours," she punched Kuei in the arm. "I can't believe a _bear_ taught you how to Earthbend."

"You should see Bosco's new move," Kuei inched closer to Toph.

"I'd love to," she inched closer to him.

"New move?" Haru turned to the two, who zipped apart.

"I call it the Bosco Drop," Kuei made some clay models of the move Bosco demonstrated at the Great Rock.

"Forget a bear belly flop, I want to learn how to do _that_," Toph poked at the figurines.

"Not one to play with dolls, I see?" Kuei pulled the stone bear off the ground and handed it to Toph.

"It looks like Sandbending," Haru pulverized the ground but only managed to make a crude pagoda.

"Now you can be _my_ sifu!" Toph grabbed Kuei's arm. The king's cheeks flushed red but nodded.

Down below, the Avatar and his new sifu were making powerful looking moves but with no fire. Haru peered over the Earthbending arena and was joined by the others.

"Some sort of breathing exercise? I don't see any fire."

Zuko was particularly agitated, throwing his hands up in anger as Aang shrugged. They were too far away for the earth trio to hear, but Zuko's angry look and Aang's sheepish grin were hints something going wrong.

"I thought Zuko was some super Firebender. He _is_ Royal Family after all," Haru turned to Kuei.

"Azula's the prodigy in the family, Zuko is good but is hardly a master at Firebending," Kuei whispered as Zuko and Aang started looking in their direction. "Then again, I don't know what it takes to be a master at that."

Mitsu whooshed over their heads as Zuko crossed his arms and Aang got up off his perch to greet the Force Bender.

"Something's really wrong, I can't Firebend like I used to!" Zuko swung his fist at the nearest cliff face. Instead of a powerful blaze only a small sliver of fire came from his knuckle.

"What about you, Aang?" Mitsu looked closer at Zuko's fist.

"Um…" Aang made the same move with only a puff of weak smoke.

"This is bad," Mitsu rubbed his chin. His reaction was much better than Sokka's earlier jesting, but Zuko felt no better for it. "We'll talk to the others. Hey, you guys up there! Katara says dinner is in one hour! Good moves with the Earthbending!" Mitsu hollered up at the Earthbending arena.

"Maybe I should learn Earthbending," Zuko shrugged as the three men came up the stairs. "Why are there Earthbending arenas and Water Tribe fountains here anyway?" Zuko noticed the architecture.

"The monks used to say that this temple was the center of our commerce. People would come here to trade and even stay to watch the Sky Bison polo and Airbending Pai Sho. Monk Gyatso told me that this place was designed by the Earth Kingdom, in fact."

"Makes sense, with this hanging design," Mitsu flew upside down and tried to imagine the pagodas looking 'normal'.

"I don't see anything from the Fire Nation," Zuko looked around as the smell of Katara's steamed rice began to infiltrate his senses.

"The Fire Nation stopped trading after Kuzon's time," Mitsu hovered above the floor, "His son started a policy of 'solitary steel' which Sozin used to build his army and machines."

"Kuzon, that's the name of my friend from 100 years ago," Aang remembered. "Named after a great Fire Lord, he said."

The Fire Prince and the Avatar continued as Mitsu examined a mural on the wall. Neither of the other two noticed an image in the corner of a red-robed man sitting next to a green and yellow-robed woman, side by side.

"The greatest so far," Mitsu would not tell the story of Kuzon and Amana the Nun until much later.

"Come and get it!" Katara dished out the rice with her hands and water bended the soup onto the cooked grains. To Zuko she gave some hesitation, but she had no time for recrimination at the moment. Aang was chattering continuously to him and for once he was quite happy. Perhaps it was the Western Air Temple or that all of his friends were in one place for once (except Suki, of course). Aang's happiness was the most important thing to her, and at the moment Zuko and Firebending was all he would talk about.

"So I was thinking," Kuei was the first to speak after a short silence, "I've been looking at these nice scrolls of yours, Katara." He held up the box Master Pakku had given to Aang.

"They're some Waterbending moves my master gave to Aang for me to help teach him."

"I like these moves; do you think you could teach me?" Kuei opened up a scroll labeled 'Water Snake'.

"Um Kuei, you're not a Waterbender," Toph pointed her chopsticks.

"Who says I have to be? I'll use sand and loose stones. I like these instructions- let your chi flow through you and control the water like it was part of you- it really sounds like Earthbending at times. What do you think, Katara?"

"It wouldn't hurt to learn something from another bending discipline, I guess," she nodded. "But you have to teach me something about Earthbending, I think."

"We're all self-taught, you know?" Haru tipped his rice bowl into his mouth. "Katara would be an interesting student."

"I had some of the best teachers," Zuko murmured through his rice. "But now I have a problem," he stood up. The fire going in the middle cast a dark shadow on his facial scar, though his face was grimmer.

"His- _our_ Firebending is kind of gone," Aang shrugged.

"Gone? How can it be gone?" Sokka put down his bowl.

"I don't know, it feels like something's missing," Zuko kicked out with only a thimble sized flame coming out.

"Pint-sized plumes," Katara nonchalantly chewed on her rice, "Maybe you're not as good as you think you are. You know, it would have been more convenient for us if you had lost your Firebending earlier." Her tone was clearly sarcastic, with even Sokka wincing.

"Ouch," Toph grinned behind her bowl.

"It's not _lost_, it's diminished somehow. Maybe it's because I'm not relying on anger anymore."

"So the solution is easy, we make Zuko angry again!" Sokka started poking him with his scabbard until Zuko yelled him right down to the floor.

"I'm not relying on hate and anger anymore, there has to be another way!" Zuko stared Sokka down.

"I can't believe that Firebending relies on hate and anger," Aang sat down beside the beleaguered prince. "It's as natural as Airbending or Waterbending, its part of the world."

Kuei put down his bowl and raised a map of the world from the earthen floor. "I learned something from my tutors once, about the source of Firebending. There were some ruins here just off the western coast of the Fire Nation's westernmost island. My tutors said that the Dragons once lived there."

"He's right; you need to draw on a different source. I recommend the original source," Toph raised a statue of a Badger Mole. "For Earthbending, the original source is the Badger Mole." Everyone fell silent as Toph told them of how she left home and hid in a cave, eventually meeting a Badger Mole and learning Earthbending from the blind cave animal like the original human Earthbenders, Oma and Shu.

"That's amazing Toph! The monks told me that the Sky Bison were the original Airbenders. Hey, maybe you can give me a lesson someday, buddy!" Aang looked over at Appa, who let out a small roar.

"Hey Mitsu, are you the original Force Bender?" Toph noticed that the prince was silently looking at the fire.

"I could be, but I don't know for sure. All I can say is the source of my bending is linked to Lode, a spirit of the Earth. So Zuko, where can people find Dragons these days?"

Zuko let out a sharp breath. "You can't, there are no dragons anymore. They're all extinct."

"Roku had a dragon and there were plenty of them when I was a kid," Aang shrugged.

"They're all dead, alright?" Zuko was even more agitated and stormed off to the edge of the outcrop they were all eating on.

"Sorry!" Aang got up and stood beside him.

"Maybe we have a chance at going with the ruins of the map Kuei showed us. The people who lived there were the first people to learn Firebending from the Dragons, they were called the Sun Warriors."

"Sun Warriors? _They_ weren't around when I was a kid."

"They died out thousands of years ago, but their buildings are still intact. Maybe we can learn something if we go there."

"Wait," Sokka raised his spoon. "You think you can pick up some ancient energy just by standing where they stood?"

"If the legends about the Sun Warriors are right, that's exactly what they will do. I'm going as well," Mitsu got up and started collecting the bowls.

"What do those legends say?" Teo handed Mitsu his bowl.

"In the tomes I've read at the Great Rock, the Sun Warriors had a Sun Stone that collected the light of the sun for thousands of years. Maybe we could look for that?"

"Why do _you_ get to go?" Kuei dissolved the map into dust.

"A while ago, one of your Professors came to the Great Rock saying he was looking for the ruins. He thought he'd come to the Library of Wan Shi Tong, but he found something that could have led him there. He never came back and neither did the compass he took."

"If it's Professor Zhen, I'm afraid he's in the Spirit World with Wan Shi Tong," Aang sighed. "I'm glad for the company, though. We'll need your flying to follow Zuko's map of the Fire Nation. It looks like they've removed most mentions of this place."

"Fire Sage Shu told me about it. Nice guy, the only nice one out of the five kooks who officiate funerals and circumcisions."

Sokka spat out his dessert and looked strangely at Zuko. "You _what_?"

"For every boy at the age of nine… what, you don't do that in the Water Tribe?" Zuko smirked out of the corner of his mouth as his drunk his water.

Sokka suddenly found himself stared at. "Well, _maybe_ we do and we were too busy being raided!" Sokka hid behind his arms.

"Oh stop it, Sokka. Maybe it's grown bigger now that you're seventeen!" Toph laughed and punched the ground. "Maybe you can do it now! Oh, I slay me!"

"That's enough talk of manhood, I think," Aang slid over to the fuming Sokka and put hand over Sokka's ear. "I ran away four times before the monks managed to hold me down…" he whispered.

"SHUT UP!" Sokka trembled as the others started leaving the dinner circle. "I am _every_ bit of a man!"

"I learned how, if you want," Katara's half-kind, half-funny offer was nonetheless turned down by her brother.

"And _no_, Sokka the Sun Warriors won't help you there." Mitsu shook his head and grinned as he left the circle. "We all have to leave at first light to save time, so get to bed, both of you. You too, Appa!" Mitsu waved the beast to sleep.

"Does Suki know?"

"SHUT UP TOPH!" he reached for his boomerang.

"We should rescue her, if only to find out…" Mitsu laughed through his teeth and elbowed Zuko as they went to the sleeping quarters.

"That's not funny, guys!" Sokka sat down and huffed.

"You know they're joking, Sokka," Katara finished cleaning up the dinner area. "It's nice to see everyone laugh for a change, even if it _is_ at you."

Sokka sighed and gave his sister a weak hug. "I can take comfort in _that_ I guess."

"Gran-Gran wanted to, but Dad insisted…" Katara stopped gathering the bowls as she felt her eyelids start to sag with moisture.

"Don't…don't talk about Dad," Sokka tightened his embrace as he fought back his own tears. The siblings never went to bed, still lying together on the floor when Aang and his two companions set out. Aang smiled slightly, his two closest friends demonstrating their love for each other despite their markedly different personalities.

"I wish I could talk to my sister like that," Zuko looked back as Appa took off with Aang on his back. "We've barely touched each other outside of sparring sessions, much less with the hugs and kisses."

"I'm an only child," Aang looked back at the rueful looking Zuko. "I wish I knew what it was like to have siblings at all."

Zuko noticed the regret in Aang's eyes, the guilt for letting the Air Nomads die out still heavy in them. "Let's change the subject," Zuko opened a copy he had of the map Mitsu was holding out miles ahead.

"You're right, the monks always said we should start the day with an upbeat attitude! Is there anything you can tell me about those Sun Warriors? What did they look like, what did they eat?"

"We were only taught that they were the first Firebenders after the Dragons. The rest is stuck in the Dragon Bone Archives, written in scripts and languages no one really remembers anymore. Even what I know was whispered to me by my tutor when I was a little kid, it's not like I learned it in school."

"I miss school," Aang looked southwards in memory of his brief day in the Fire Nation school and the dance he had orchestrated. To be with other children was a rare thrill for him, even if they were clueless to his actual identity or even the proper history of his people. Monk Gyatso was adamant that Aang would be raised as a normal boy, but Aang himself never found out. No one had called him immature to his face, but many a master and friend would hint at that. Aang wondered what Zuko's adolescence was like, or Sokka's. Mitsu and Kuei rarely talked about their childhood, something shared by the rest of the group as well. Aang suddenly felt alone again, as he was virtually the only child left among all of them.

"We're almost there," Mitsu landed on Aang's back after a few hours of flight and avoiding naval patrols. He pointed to a remote island off the horizon with his staff. The island was barely visible on the map but was actually bigger than it was on the sheet. Ember Island was a red dot in the distance, but in the broad daylight the island of the Sun Warriors was brightly hued. Mitsu saw giant sandstone temples and other ruins, all dotted with vines and bushes that snaked over them like shorn wrapping on a forgotten present. The red glint of rubies was a hint of times gone by, the red stones following the sun as it made its way up to its apex in the summer sky. Appa managed to find a courtyard to land on, although the bison couldn't be persuaded to move any further. Aang patted his friend on the head and together with Zuko ran to meet Mitsu, who was waving slightly ahead of them.

"This place is pretty well preserved," Zuko noticed that most of the buildings were complete despite the overgrowth of plants on them.

"No one's been here for thousands of years," Mitsu felt the stones on a wall. "Yet it feels alive somehow."

"The temples of the Fire Sages look similar to those stupas over there," Zuko noticed the rubies in the ground. "That must be a solar calendar up there," he pointed. "The sages say that the past is a great teacher."

Aang looked up as he walked, but found himself suddenly dragged down by a harmless looking vine that turned out to be a tripwire for a bed of spikes , only a quick breath of air managed to save the Avatar from being skewered, and only his small frame managed to save him from tipping over onto the spikes.

"Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me!" Aang quickly stepped back from the spikes.

"Wow, still sharp," Mitsu poked at the metal spikes with his staff. He effortlessly hovered over them and landed among the sweating Aang, while Zuko ran sideways on the wall and landed with a small smile, dusting off his tunic.

"I thought you said something about an upbeat attitude," he grinned.

"These traps are thousands of years old, and they still work! Reminds me of the Rock…" Mitsu sent a force wave forward and triggered two more traps, the second being a giant pair of dragon jaws that smashed a stone between them until it was a pile of dust.

"There could be more," Mitsu tugged the two boys at the collar and flew up towards the solar calendar platform, which lay in front of a slab that resembled a door. As he landed, Zuko noticed a mural above the door with an intricate design of two dragons breathing fire at a single man. The man was faceless and appeared to be standing in the flames, though it wasn't clear if he was burning or dancing.

"I thought the Sun Warriors were friends with the Dragons," Aang rubbed his chin.

"They look pretty angry to me," Zuko felt the slab for some sort of lock.

"There's no mechanism I can detect," Mitsu ran his palm over the doorway. "It must be deep within the building.

"Zuko, something happened to the dragons when I was gone. Something neither of you are telling me."

Mitsu and Zuko looked at each other, with the Fire Prince sighing and stepping away from the door.

"My great grandfather Sozin happened," Zuko traced the lines on the floor. "He started the tradition of hunting dragons for sport. They were the ultimate Firebenders, the greatest trophy of them all. The last great dragon was slain by none other than my uncle." Zuko stroked a miniature of a dragon's head.

"Iroh? I thought he was…I don't know…good?" Aang shrugged.

"He had a complicated past," Mitsu looked up at a small tower that was opposite the door.

"Family inheritance, I guess," Zuko held his hand up to the large ruby in the tower. "This isn't just a solar calendar, this is like the entrance to the Prime Temple in the capital," he pointed to a red spot on the floor.

"When will it hit the door ruby?" Mitsu recalled a book he once read.

"The summer solstice," Zuko took out his sword.

"Monkey feathers! The solstice again? I don't have that long to wait!" Aang gripped his bald head.

"We can speed time a little bit," Zuko held out his shining blade towards the tower and soon, a little red dot began scattering across the stone slab until it met a rounded ruby on top of the doorway. The ruby glowed slightly and the three looked at each other, wondering if the trick had worked. The slab then began to sink downwards, rumbling into an unseen cavity below.

"Zuko, I don't care what the others say. I think you're pretty smart," Aang gave him a friendly nudge. Zuko shrugged, appreciating the Avatar's lightheartedness. He wondered if all of Aang's people were like that, so open minded and free thinking, so unlike his own. Aang was innocently looking at a statue inside the room they were in when Zuko noticed that there was an entire circle of statues, all with tall headdresses and stern expressions on their faces but with different poses.

"The statues all have 'paths' that lead to the center," Mitsu noticed patterns on the floor.

Aang put his staff down and dusted off a plaque below a statue at the end of the circle.

"It says the _Dancing Dragon_," Aang pondered. Something in him clicked and he followed the statue's posture, standing on one leg and raising both his hands. A slab of stone sunk beneath his feet and sprang up as soon as he lifted it. The Airbender immediately grabbed Zuko and showed him, though the prince was reluctant.

"You want to _what_?"

"Dance with me, Zuko! I have a feeling these statues are trying to each us something."

The prince sighed and stood beside Aang on his side of the circle and adopted a similar pose, moving onwards to the second statue in his row as Aang did the same. Stones slid down as the two danced in tandem, with Mitsu standing in the middle.

"This had better teach us some super Firebending," Zuko spread his arms in an eagle-like stance.

The dance ended with both of them touching fists, shoulders bent towards each other. Mitsu felt a rumbling beneath his feet, only to get knocked over by a suddenly rising platform. A single golden-looking egg rose from the platform, shining so brilliantly that the entire room was bathed in a golden light and they were all momentarily blinded.

"That thing…is it alive?" Zuko shielded his eyes as the brilliant light died down.

"It feels like I can hear a heartbeat of sorts," Aang got up.

"It's pretty warm," Mitsu lifted the egg off the platform.

"Wait, what if it's another trap like the spikes out there?" Aang made a tent shape with his hands.

"It's just an egg, but whoa!" Mitsu felt the ground rumble again, throwing the egg to Zuko.

"It's another trap!" Aang watched as the doors and windows shut on them. A green liquid began to seep through the floor, shooting Zuko and the egg upwards towards a kind of grill.

"I can't move!" Zuko howled as the egg hung off some slime.

Aang grabbed his staff and tipped himself on a statue. Raising the staff he breathed in, a powerful tornado blasting the slime back, though the torrent continued to fight him. Mitsu was flying upwards towards the ceiling, but the slime was following him at a ridiculously fast rate. He threw the staff at the stone ceiling and tried to bash through, but the slime grabbed his ankle and he dropped to the ground in frustration, rooted through the hole in the floor he had made. Aang himself was fighting this strange slime, which resisted all Waterbending attempts and eventually grabbed the Avatar, grabbing him and sticking him right beside Zuko as it rose. The torrent eventually subsided, but they were stuck to the grate while Mitsu felt like a tree stuck in the ground.

"You _had_ to touch the glowing egg," Aang shot him a look.

"I like glowing things," Mitsu tried to shrug but his hands were stuck to the ground. Even his staff was caught by the slime, struggling in vain on the stone floor.

"What do we do now?" Zuko's face was the only thing above the slime.

"HELP!" Aang yelled with all the Airbending in the world, his mouth expanding to ridiculous proportions.

"Who are you yelling for help to? No one's lived here for thousands of years!"

"HELP!" Mitsu joined Aang in yelling.

"Oh, what the hell… HELP!" Zuko wailed. What was the worst that could happen, a Fire Nation airship hovering overhead?

They yelled till they were out of breath and talked until they were out of things to talk about and even Aang ran out of monk stories to share. The sun had given way to the moon, and the stars wheeled overhead as their stomachs began to rumble.

"I think we can talk about our place in the universe?" Zuko tried the Fire Breath, but a small spitball came out instead.

"I think our place is in hell," Mitsu groaned as the slime turned to a rubbery kind of gunk. A large foot suddenly stomped by his face, a large shadow falling over the Force Bender.

"You might be going there, if you are trespassing!" a haughty voice called out to him. "We have two others here!" The man called out to other people, who came seemingly out of nowhere, some bearing torches, and to Zuko's amazement some with their own fire.


	31. Chapter 31 The Sarcastic Sun Warriors

**Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.**

"Trying to take our Sun Stone, eh?" a smaller man with a thin beard looked down at Mitsu.

"That thing is the legendary Sun Stone? It looks like a golden egg!"

"Oh, now you insult the Sun Stone!" the small man looked up to the one with the big feet and crossed his arms.

"Get them on their feet," the bigger man summoned some strange animals.

Soon the three were pasted together with the green gunk, which was slowly licked off by two animals that resembled ant-eaters. Mitsu's staff was rolled on the floor till it touched his feet, the two men pushing it straining from cramp and crashing to the floor. They were all still helpless in the face of the chief, and a man whose name sounded like Hug Now. Aang finally felt his hand wriggle free as the slime eaters slowly weakened his bonds, but it was still too little to do anything. In any case, these people were not looking like the type to pick a fight with.

"You're the Sun Warriors!" Zuko got up as the slime around him weakened. "Your civilization is alive!"

"You tried to steal our Sun Stone," 'Hug Now' planted his foot on Zuko's shoulder and pushed down on him.

"Look, I don't want to play this card … but I'm the Avatar."

The chief looked unimpressed, but looked at his lieutenants.

"I'm Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation…or at least I used to be." Zuko's reply brought even less favorable reactions from the men and women staring darkly at them.

"I know my people have distorted the ways of Firebending to be fueled by rage and hate. I've come here to learn the true way, the original ways of your people. No one knows that your civilization even exists in this day and age." Zuko was dead serious, a change from the pleading tone he had used with practically everyone in the last few months.

"And who are you with the backbreaking pole?" the chief nodded slowly.

"Mitsu Ishihara, Warden of the Great Rock," Mitsu stopped short of using his royal title. "We're here because the Avatar and the Fire Prince need to re-learn Firebending. I helped them get here."

"The Great Rock is as ancient as we are," the Chief made two men lift Zuko and Aang out of the last of the slime. "The Dream Chair still resides there?"

"It still stands, and the one to rest on it has done so," Mitsu pulled himself out and bowed. "The Ancient Flame is still here, I hope?"

"Ancient Flame?" Zuko also bowed as soon as he could, and pushed Aang's head down.

"Come with me," the Chief's men led the three at fire point up a nearby hill, reaching the temple in roughly fifty paces. More and more Sun Warriors appeared to them, dressed in feather headbands and red-hued vests, some with red face paint. They all looked imposing, with even Mitsu bristling as one of them walked past with a personal flame. The Chief stopped in front of a roaring fire encased in a frame that resembled a sharp toothed dragon. The fire seemed to have no need for fuel or sustenance and it burned brightly, almost like light rather than flame.

"If you want to learn from the Masters Ran and Shao, you will have to take a piece of this Great Flame up to the mountaintop where the Masters reside," the Chief used Firebending to cup a piece of the flame.

"This flame has burned since the Dragons first gave it to us," the Chief held it out to Zuko. "You must take this flame and present it to the masters. It must not go out, or you will have failed."

Zuko held out his palms and the Chief blew off a part of his flame, leaving him with a fist-sized flame that somehow comforted him rather than stimulated him.

"Um, Mr. Chief Sir, I'm not really a Firebender yet. Can't my friend carry my flame for me?" Aang nervously eyed the Great Flame.

"No," the chief deadpanned and nudged a smaller flame into Aang's hands. "You are the Avatar; hence you are a Firebender no matter what."

"It feels like a little heartbeat!" Aang surprisingly felt excited by the fire, which seemed to warm his entire body, particularly where his tattoos were.

"Fire is life, not just the means to destroy. All elements can heal or hurt, but only fire can truly represent the feeling of life," the Chief stepped in front of Mitsu.

"Oh, hold on Chief! I'm not a Firebender at all!" Mitsu took two steps back.

"You've come this far and you don't want to learn with the Masters? They will not think well of you if you refuse. Come on, take this flame! This is a place to learn Firebending, hence you too will learn."

Mitsu looked at Zuko and Aang, who were looking back at him when they weren't busy keeping their flames up.

"I guess you have to take it too," Zuko kindled his flame until it was as large as his head for a moment.

Mitsu took a deep breath and held out his hands, but winced as the fire washed over them. There was oddly no pain, or even heat. The shock of a non-Firebender holding a flame in control nearly brought him off his feet and unsettled Aang, but he found the flame almost like an extension of himself, beating like his own heart.

"I can't believe this!" Mitsu steadied himself as his flame burst and became larger, tough Aang's was still practically the size of a lit candle.

"Be careful! If you become too timid, your flame will die out like your ambition. If you are too fearful, your flame will explode and burn you alive."

The words were not comforting to Aang, but he nodded and began walking towards a nearby outcrop, between Zuko and a still surprised Mitsu.

"I'm going to be a Firebender?" Mitsu felt like juggling his new flame. "This is crazy!"

"Kind of makes sense, since your brother seems to be trying to learn how to Waterbend back at the temple," Zuko grinned and let his flame burn in one hand. He was clearly confident of his flame, but that was expected of all members of the Royal Family, banished or not. Footsteps of other travelers dotted the hillside, some terminating right in the middle of the hill, or turned around back to base camp. The number of prints that continued up the hill dwindled the further they went, until Zuko, Aang and Mitsu were literally walking in the steps of three other people.

"Aang, watch your fire! " Zuko turned to the shivering Avatar.

"If I don't walk slowly it'll go out!"

"You're too timid, give it a little juice! I know you can do it." Zuko's expression softened. "You're a smart kid."

Aang nervously smiled while Mitsu walked by him, transfixed by his flame, which was slowly turning white.

"Watch the road, Mitsu!" Zuko called out. Mitsu, perhaps unwittingly, began levitating and landed right next to Zuko. Aang's ascent took longer, as Airbending might have put the flame out while Earthbending such a sacred knoll might not be such a good idea. In the end all three were staring at a series of giant steps with the Chief and other Sun Warriors already at the summit. Two thorny peaks jutted out at either side of the stairs, a stone platform being the top acting as a bridge between two caves.

"Who do you think these Masters are?" Aang whispered to Zuko. "What if they say we're not worthy?"

"You're the Avatar, and we're the Fire and Earth Princes. I think we can take them," Zuko pulled out his sword. Aang let out a nervous smile as he and Zuko carried their flame up towards the platform.

"Mitsu, aren't you coming?" Aang turned around. The Force Bender just stood there, the Chief's arm just ahead of his chest, barring his way.

"He comes after you." Mitsu swallowed hard and looked at the Chief. Firebending Masters were not nice people even in the best of times, though for some reason he imagined Lo and Li walking out of those caves with the party gesture. His mind suddenly raced to Ty Lee, and his flame exploded to an even larger size, though he was able to calm it down before it burned anyone.

"I wish my fire was exploding like that!" Aang focused on his flame as hard as he could, though it was never larger than three fingers' width.

"THOSE WHO WISH TO LEARN WILL NOW PRESENT THEIR FLAMES TO THE MASTERS!" a Sun Warrior called out via a horn.

Aang and Zuko turned back to back and held their flames out. Sounds began to come from the two caves, followed by rumbling and falling rocks. Aang's fears came all at once, and as he turned to Zuko his flame disappeared.

"Zuko! My flame went out!"

"What do you want _me_ to do!" Zuko found his flame dwindling.

"Give me some of yours!" Aang reached over to Zuko, who kept his flame away.

"No, stop cheating on me! Grab some from the Warriors or Mitsu! Stop it!"

Zuko soon felt his own flame go out as the rumbling became louder. He became as scared as Aang when the Masters literally burst out of their cave homes. Instead of two old men (or women) coming out, two pairs of golden eyes attached to giant creatures stared blankly at the two boys.

"Dragons!" Zuko muttered.

"Do you still think we can take them?" Aang whispered, though he didn't know what to do either.

"I never said that!" Zuko leaned on Aang.

Mitsu felt helpless being at the bottom, while the Sun Warriors were all prostrating to their Masters, ignoring the pleas of the Avatar and the Fire Prince. He wanted to dump his flame and help them, but the Dragons simply flew past the two in a nearly identical formation that included a lot of twists and turns.

"I think they want us to do the Dancing Dragon," Aang whispered to his friend.

"What makes you think they want us to dance?" Zuko growled.

"Can you think of something to do?"

Zuko gritted his teeth and began his half of the dance. Amazingly, the red dragon followed his maneuvers as it twisted and turned through the air, almost in synergy. The blue dragon followed Aang, flying with the utmost abandon as the Avatar matched it in grace with the dance. They ended with the joining of the fists, where the Dragons suddenly broke off and landed beneath the platform, their mouths pointing right at the two prospective learners. Aang and Zuko screamed as multiple colors and shades of fire washed over them until their screams were drowned out by the Dragons' roar. The fire glowed with the light of centuries and seemed to speak to them both, ancient words that they somehow understood but were unable to repeat. Zuko heard the voice of the Sun itself, a warm and vibrant tone singing to his heart. Aang felt like he was in the Avatar State again, as the fire filled spaces in his soul that he never knew existed. The fire glowed purple, then white, then green, then yellow, then red, then blue, then purple again. Aang stopped trying to figure out the pattern in the fire, realizing that it was all the same fire when put together, a rainbow of flame that glowed in his eyes. He felt a surge of energy in his arms, which he noticed were glowing where his tattoos were.

Outside, Mitsu cast aside his flame and tried to get close to them, but the flame was too hot even for him.

"Aang! Zuko!" he called out as the flames died down, with the two boys unharmed in the center.

"I understand," was the only thing Zuko said, staring in the air as the two Dragons retreated to their lairs without as much as a single word. The fire inside him lit up again, though he felt it to be rounder, gentler and smoother, more a part of him that it had ever been.

"Are they worthy, Chief?"

"Yes, the Masters have spoken, and they have been taught the meaning of Firebending. It is life; it is joy and happiness inside of one person. It can be turned into hate, rage and fear if not checked, but the Masters have shown you the way. Now it is your turn."

"But my flame's died out!" Mitsu showed the Chief his empty hands.

"No, it has not. Look up." Mitsu saw his flame dancing up in the sky.

Zuko and Aang were ecstatic as they walked down the stairs, both brimming with energy and euphoria from the grand revelations of the Masters. The Chief greeted them, knowing that they had passed a test few had done throughout the ages.

"You have been deemed worthy by the Masters, and now you understand the true nature of fire?" the Chief stepped in front of Aang and Zuko.

"Yes. I hope I can redeem myself for disappearing one hundred years ago." Aang looked at his hands.

"It'll take a lot more than that to redeem my family," Zuko looked at his own hands and turned to Aang. "But I know why my flames were weak. I no longer had the drive to hunt you, to chase you across the world. Now, I have a new drive," the Prince began to assume a stance, "I have to help you defeat my father, and bring true honor back to my family." Zuko did a full turn and let out a thundering blast of orange fire.

Aang looked at the Chief and tried an Airbending stance, but thought of fire. A powerful blast, though not as strong as Zuko's flew out of his hands, making him smile in surprise.

"I was too timid once…after I hurt Katara, I never wanted to Firebend again. But now I understand that fire is natural and part of life," Aang mused. "I feel like a small sun is in me."

"You must be proud of yourself, as you are the first Avatar incarnation to have come here since the very first one, who is probably out of your mind's reach."

"The first Avatar came here?" Aang remembered the tracks that he had followed up the hill.

"Indeed, along with two others over the space of time," the chief nodded, pointing to the two other sets of footprints.

"I recognize these footprints…it can't be… Uncle Iroh? He said he killed the last Dragon. It must have been a lie," Zuko noticed the square prints of the slippers Iroh always wore even on duty.

"It was a necessary lie. Iroh was the last one to face the Masters, and they passed on the secret to him as well. He was the one who decided to preserve the two Dragons until no one would hunt them anymore. We thought he would be the last outsider to come here, but we have been proven wrong by you, and by the third set of prints."

Zuko looked down at the third set of smaller prints, which terminated well before the steps.

"Who was this?"

"You have to ask your friend up there," the Chief pointed up.

"MITSU!" Aang was breathless.


End file.
